Federal Jury Finds NJ Sen. Bob Menendez Guilty of Bribery, Acting As Foreign Agent For Qatar and Egypt

By FrumNews.com

A federal jury found Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) guilty on all counts on Tuesday for using his political influence as a powerful member of Congress to benefit New Jersey businessmen in exchange for bribes and acting as a foreign agent.

The jury found him guilty of all 16 counts, including bribery, obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent, and honest services wire fraud.

Two New Jersey businessmen who were accused of bribing the Senator were also found guilty.

“Moments ago, a jury convicted Senator Robert Menendez of corruption offenses. This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams remarked. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz. This wasn’t politics as usual; this was politics for profit.

“Because Senator Menendez has now been found guilty, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end,” Attorney Williams added. “Corruption isn’t costless: it erodes public trust, and it undermines the rule of law. That’s why we’re so committed to fighting it, regardless of political party. I want to thank the career prosecutors and law enforcement agents who meticulously investigated and prosecuted this case. Their work brought this egregious corruption to light. They are the best of the best, and I am enormously proud to serve with them.”

Last year, Senator Menendez, a once powerful Democrat who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was accused by the Justice Department of using the power of his office in exchange for bribes, honest services wire fraud, and acting as an agent for foreign governments.

Menendez stepped down as head of the foreign relations panel after his indictment but remained in the Senate and is still running for reelection in November — as an independent.

After the indictment, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on the New Jersey Senator to resign. “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.”

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also called for Menendez to resign immediately.

***

At play is Menendez’s Senate seat, which is currently at a 3-way race between Democratic nominee Rep. Andy Kim (who is seen as the favorite to win the race), GOP nominee Curtis Bashaw, and Senator Menendez (who is still running as an independent candidate, as of Tuesday afternoon).

If Menendez drops out of the race, it would almost certainly give the seat to Democrats. But if he stays, he could be a spoiler candidate and give the seat to the Republican nominee (if Menendez gets over 10% of the vote).