Menendez's latest corruption scandal is an indictment of Senate Democrats
Washington ExaminerSep 22, 2023
Facts
- On Monday, in his first public remarks since his Sept. 22 indictment, US Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) Menendez signaled that he intends to stay in office. This comes as New Jersey state leadership has called for Menendez to leave Congress altogether, with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and most of the state's Democratic House delegation urging him to resign.
- Menendez and his wife were indicted Friday in New York for allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. They both deny the charges.
- Menendez and his wife, Nadine, are accused of accepting cash, gold bars, home mortgage payments, and other bribes as part of a "corrupt relationship" that allegedly benefited Egypt.
- Menendez, who agreed to step down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is up for reelection in 2024, and his wife have each been charged with three counts.
- Businessmen Fred Daibes, Wael “Will" Hana, and Jose Uribe have also been charged.
- Previously, Menendez was indicted in 2015 on federal bribery charges in an unrelated case, which ultimately resulted in a mistrial.
Spin
Republican narrative
Menendez should be ashamed that he again finds himself being charged with corruption, and he should resign immediately. Any work he does will be tainted by the stain of corruption, and — although he’s innocent until proven guilty — Democrats' reluctance to challenge his actions raises questions.
Democratic narrative
No one ever wants to see a high-level official accused of corruption. But this case speaks against the accusations that the Dept. of Justice is being weaponized against conservatives. The DOJ — alongside the Democratic party — has done its due diligence in this case and in the previous one against the senator.
