New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez publicly announced that he would not be stepping down from his position in the United States Congress following charges against him for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for political favors. The Democratic senior senator is not new to corruption charges, as he faced similar bribery charges in 2017, which were dismissed after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. Menendez’s most recent charges include three counts of conspiracy.
Menendez’s previous transgression included charges of accepting bribes from a wealthy doctor in exchange for political favors. The recent allegations against him are much more extreme: persuading federal and state prosecutors to be lenient when convicting some of his associates for criminal charges, receiving extravagant gifts (such as bars of gold and a Mercedes Benz), and selling weapons to Egypt. You read that right.
In addition, about $500,000 in cash was found in his residence, which he claims to be a practice he learned from his parents, who were Cuban refugees. During a press conference, Menendez said, “For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies, and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba, … Now this may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years.” Noteworthy is the fact that the envelopes containing the cash had fingerprints and DNA from the benefactors Menendez has allegedly accepted bribes from.
The Democratic senator has stepped down as chair of the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee but has maintained his innocence, and even predicted his exoneration in the face of his current charges. Fellow Democrats have begun calling for his resignation, with New Jersey Governor Phillip D. Murphy even calling for Menendez’s resignation despite being one of his close colleagues.
(featured image: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
