In a court of law, defendants are entitled to a presumption of innocence. However, Senator Bob Menendez does not enjoy such indulgence in the court of public opinion.
Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, has been indicted today, along with his wife, Nadine, and three others, on three counts of corruption. Federal prosecutors allege that the group accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to assist the Egyptian government. These allegations include Menendez providing sensitive U.S.-government information to the Egyptians and trying to protect two of the defendants from prosecution.
This isn’t the first corruption case against Menendez, yet he continues to represent his state in the Senate and head the powerful Foreign Relations Committee. This highlights the pusillanimity of Democrats and the unfortunate reality of how partisanship can allow bad politicians to remain in office for fear of benefiting the opposing party.
The indictment includes what New York accurately characterizes as “cartoonish” allegations. FBI agents found envelopes filled with cash in Menendez’s jacket pockets, which had his name sewn on them. They also discovered over $100,000 worth of gold bars, reminiscent of a harebrained Yosemite Sam scheme. Prosecutors cite texts from Nadine to Menendez complaining about a co-defendant’s failure to deliver promised bribes. Furthermore, the document, which can be found here, is a compelling read.
These corruption allegations against Menendez may sound familiar, as he was previously indicted in 2015 for a bribery scheme involving Salomon Melgen, a doctor. However, Menendez lucked out when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a corruption conviction of a Republican politician, which led to the dismissal of charges against him. Despite his name being synonymous with ethical lapses, Democrats chose not to expel Menendez from the Senate due to the fear of a Republican replacement under a Republican governor’s appointment. Menendez was subsequently reelected in 2018.
Prosecutors claim that Menendez resumed his corrupt activities in spring 2018, following his censure. His position as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee allowed him to wield his power to benefit Egypt.
Menendez maintains his innocence and released a scorching statement this morning, accusing undisclosed forces of attempting to silence him. These claims echo Trump’s rhetoric of being targeted by the “deep state.” However, given that New Jersey is governed by Democrats and the president is also a Democrat, it’s hard to take Menendez’s protests seriously. Nevertheless, his situation could validate Trump’s defense against his own indictments and undermine the political case against him.
The survival of Menendez, an ethically compromised senator, highlights the prevalence of negative partisanship in today’s politics. Democrats chose to keep him despite his ethical lapses to avoid the risk of a Republican senator. This fear and loathing of the other party, rather than genuine affiliation, shapes political decisions. Menendez’s indictment parallels the upcoming 2024 presidential election, where each party’s focus is on nominating a candidate based on their potential to defeat the opposition, rather than their personal qualities. Perhaps losing an election is not the worst outcome after all, as the Menendez prosecution suggests.
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