This is not the first rodeo for Senator Menendez (D-NJ), it fact it could be his second or third. Going back to 2019, his case resulted in a hung jury.
But under extreme pressure from the House Democrats, a floor vote was held to expel George Santos (R-NY) for corruption, a case that has not gone to trial yet…and he as expelled…but there is radio silence in the Senate under Leader Chuck Schumer.
Cars, watches, gold bars and cash…oh my. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez introduced a member of the Qatari royal family and principal in a company with ties to the government of Qatar to a New Jersey businessman before the company invested millions of dollars in the businessman’s real estate project, a rewritten indictment alleged Tuesday.
Let’s remember that Qatar is the diplomatic post for the Taliban created by President Obama and it is Qatar to whom President Biden has deferred all Israeli and American hostage negotiations.
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is facing additional bribery accusations, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Menendez is now accused of accepting bribes and gifts in exchange for helping to benefit Qatar as part of a yearslong corruption scheme from 2021 through 2023, one year longer than originally thought, the Justice Department said.
His attorney, Adam Fee, said the new allegations “stink of desperation.”
“Despite what they’ve touted in press releases, the government does not have the proof to back up any of the old or new allegations against Senator Menendez, Fee said. “What they have instead is a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his constituents or foreign officials. They are turning this into a persecution, not a prosecution.”
He added that the senator acted appropriately with respect to Qatar, Egypt and other countries he interacts with.
Menendez is already facing federal charges for allegedly acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his power and influence as a Senator.
Menendez appears to be the first sitting senator in U.S. history to have been indicted on two unrelated criminal matters, according to the Senate Historical Office. He faces reelection next year in a bid to extend his three-decade career in Washington as Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Senate.
Prosecutors also say the bribery and extortion scheme continued into 2023, a year longer than initially alleged. The superseding indictment is found here.
It is 50 pages but does have lots of picture evidence along with text (encrypted) messages.