Senator Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife are indicted for bribery: what might be behind it?
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife have been charged with bribery over their alleged acceptance of “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in return for the use of the senator’s influence to enrich three New Jersey businessmen and benefit the Egyptian government, according to an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court that was made public Friday.
The charges include conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. The bribes the couple received included “cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle and other items of value,” the indictment alleges.
Federal agents said they discovered many of the items when they executed search warrants on the couple’s home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in June 2022. …
Menendez will step down as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee while the case proceeds, a source close to him said on Friday.
Menendez denied the charges and said that prosecutors have “misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office” and are attempting to “dig my political grave.”
Neither of the articles I linked mentioned politics, but that’s what the discussion is about on blogs on the right. Why Menendez, and why now? He’s a Democrat, after all; aren’t they ordinarily immune? The amount he is alleged to have gotten is relative chicken feed compared to the Bidens’ take.
Menendez may indeed be crooked. I’m going to assume there’s a great deal of that sort of thing going around. He’s been indicted before on similar charges involving different people, and I’ve written about that. Let’s take a look. For example, in March of 2015 I wrote this about the charges back then:
This case has been smoldering for quite some time. So the timing of the [announcement of pending charges against Menendez] could be just a coincidence. But it’s certainly “interesting” that it has come right after the Iran deal controversy in which Menendez featured so prominently as a leading Democrat who joined with Republicans to vociferously criticize Obama …
Menendez has long been a critic of the Iran deal, perhaps the only Democrat who can claim that status. He also recently (September 6) voiced “concerns” about Biden’s Iran prisoner swap. It seemed to me back in 2015, and it seems to me now, that he is being punished for this sort of thing. Otherwise, he would be protected Isn’t Biden working on a new Iran deal? And now Menendez won’t be chairman of that Foreign Relations Committee. The case also might be seen as a distraction from Joe’s bribery woes.
NOTE: By the way, Menendez and his wife were married in 2020, so this is a recent relationship.
There’s also the fact that this serves as a very convenient camouflage for partisanship for the DOJ:
“See, we’re not partisan, we’re prosecuting a Democrat right here…”
Extra bonus convenience that this happens to be a Democrat who’s not much in favor at the moment. It could also serve as a warning to other Democrats who might consider having an opinion that deviates from the party line.
I assume this is not being done in good faith. Menendez is skeevy enough that they likely have material in reserve. However, they’ll do this to people who’ve done nothing.
Given how deeply corrupt our government clearly is from the top down, you just expect that there’s all sorts of dirt on most of the Senators and House Members. One imagines that our corrupt FBI and Justice Department must have all kinds of evidence of true criminal activity that it holds over the heads of certain Senators and House Members as insurance. Menendez foolishly went against the regime on Iran. Big mistake.
What might be behind it?
C’mon, man. It’s WhiteSupremaRaciPhobia, duh.
I mean, Menendez. Do I have to draw you a picture?
Basically what Sailorcurt said. Menendez is not supporting the narrative on the Iran deal, and it gives Dems a chance to say “see we’re non-partisan” while wrist-slapping Hunter and letting “the Big Guy” off scot-free.
I think you are both right.
Do you have piles of cash rolled up and hidden in clothes in your bedroom? I’ve had a few 1 oz gold coins in my bedroom, but not $100K bars. That would be extremely irresponsible. If someone finds out you have that kind of scratch in your house they can be highly motivated to conduct a violent raid.
In all of the reading concerning politics I have done, there was one comment in particular that has held my attention. I do not think it applies to elected representatives, but it applies to administration executives.
The commenter’s theory was that to rise high in the administrative state, to be something like a Deputy Director of the FBI or a Deputy Secretary of State, you must have done something criminal (but not prosecuted) for which your superiors can hold over your head and threaten you if you do not comply with their illicit schemes.
It makes sense. I always thought that career federal administrators were simply threatened with loss of job and pension (hence my repeated demands that they be converted to 401(k)s), but there are recent allegations that the CIA paid some of their analysts a bribe to hide their conclusion regarding the COVID lab leak. I didn’t think cash bribes to federal employees from federal agencies was a thing.
It appears that to be an ambitious federal administrator is a Faustian bargain.
With regards to elected officials, of course they are subject to bribery offers. The Congressmen in the House, of which there are something like 435, they individually cannot make much of a difference until they get on powerful committees. Bribing 1 of 8 on the ‘Ways and Means’ committee is a much safer bet than trying to bribe one out of 435.
I hope Menendez breaks down and implicates all the other whores in the Senate. But we never got Epstein’s client list, so we are unlikely to get anything here either. Hell, we cannot even get the tranny shooter’s manifesto.
Erronius
Reminds me of old Hank ‘Whatshisname’ from Louisiana, who kept his bribe money bundled up in the freezer. Whoever is conducting the investigation is pretty thorough though, they hit the safe deposit boxes as well as the wardrobe.
Not the first or second rodeo for this sleazebag, you’d of thought he be a little more tidy with his grifting.
https://notthebee.com/article/democrat-senator-charged-with-bribery-gold-and-money-found-in-his-house
“The indictment accuses Menendez and his wife of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using the senator’s power and influence to seek to protect and enrich the businessman.
The indictment also alleges the bribes sought to “benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt,” which ABC conveniently left out.”
Media covers for the Democrats that even the party has walked away from.
I suspect they need a more complying Senator from New Jersey, a Deep State member who loves Iran and Ukraine as a suggestion.
Reminds me of old Hank ‘Whatshisname’ from Louisiana, who kept his bribe money bundled up in the freezer. Whoever is conducting the investigation is pretty thorough though, they hit the safe deposit boxes as well as the wardrobe.
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Hank Johnson was the geologist from Georgia who thought Guam was in danger of capsizing. The fellow you’re remembering is William ‘Cold Cash’ Jefferson, who kept his bribe money in a chest freezer in his basement.
Not the first or second rodeo for this sleazebag, you’d of thought he be a little more tidy with his grifting.
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During the last round, there was evidence he’d banged jailbait hookers (in the Dominican Republic, IIRC) and that he’d stiffed them. That’s just tacky.
He’s chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, any Iran deal would have to go through him. He is a friend of Israel and thus would nix it.
Is he corrupt? He’s from NJ (where I was born) so, yes. But the Obama team must think it is close to a deal so they need to clear the deck.
: By the way, Menendez and his wife were married in 2020, so this is a recent relationship.
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Looking at the pics, she has an inch or so on him in flats. In heels, she’s looking over his head.
I wonder what she looks like in black leather. 🙂
I denounce myself.
Biden was also top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the late Clinton early Bush years. Republicans were the majority in the Senate most of that time, so he was only chairman for a total of 4 years. Biden was also the guy who boasted about his ability to get a Ukrainian prosecutor (the one who was after Burisma it seems) fired when he was vice president. Was Biden above taking bribes in his time as SFRC Chair? Hunter had just gotten out of law school and was making connections in Delaware and DC, but Joe was capable of making other arrangements then.
FWIW, it was interesting in the midst of this to find out how big an ounce or a kilo of gold is and how much it costs.
That Menendez was re-elected after his first sleaze says that New Jersians are sleazeballs. Disgusting state, disgusting citizenry.
According to reports, when Menendez wanted a meeting with then-Vice President Biden, he went through Hunter to arrange it.
It’s hard to fake evidence like huge amounts of cash in pockets, and gold bars, so this seems clearly corruption. The timing of the charges is interesting.
That Menendez was re-elected after his first sleaze says that New Jersians are sleazeballs. Disgusting state, disgusting citizenry.
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The Democrats you know are perfectly content to put up with the Bidens.
What rbj1 said @ 10:30 am.
Just another “gift” for Bibi to make his long-awaited visit even more “memorable”.
(That old Obaman sense of humor never ever disappoints….)