THIS is how Democratic voters take care of their corrupt pols.
THIS is the OPPOSITE of how Republicans do it.
THESE are the VOTERS who put him IN (and kept him in) the U.S. SENATE since 2006.
And they want him OUT.
Is a man presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, by a jury of his peers in court?
Yes.
Does a Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney manipulate a grand jury and bring frivolous charges against a sitting U.S. Senator, to start a high-profile case in court?
No.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As the grand jury charged, between 2018 and 2022, Senator Menendez and his wife engaged in a corrupt relationship with Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes – three New Jersey businessmen who collectively paid hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including cash, gold, a Mercedes Benz, and other things of value – in exchange for Senator Menendez agreeing to use his power and influence to protect and enrich those businessmen and to benefit the Government of Egypt. My Office is firmly committed to rooting out corruption, without fear or favor, and without any regard to partisan politics. We will continue to do so.”
While Senator Robert Menendez was already three years into his alleged corruption by the time president Joe Biden appointed U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, he did not shut down the investigation. He was not directed by AG Garland to stop (as Bill Barr has done). He used his sparkling new U.S. Attorney’s office the way it needs to be used.
For justice.
And the voters of New Jersey agree.
Majority of New Jersey residents polled say indicted Sen. Menendez should resign
Everyone from Democrats to national news columnists to progressive activists have called on indicted Sen. Bob Menendez to resign, and now the New Jersey masses want him out, too.
Seventy percent of Garden State respondents to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll would like to show the state’s senior senator the door.
“Menendez has been able to weather charges in the past,” Dan Cassino, a professor of government and politics and director of the poll, said in a statement. “But this time, it just doesn’t seem like he has any real support left.”
While Republicans are more likely to root for his departure than Democrats or independents, Menendez — a Democrat who has held the seat since 2006 — lost support across political parties, the poll found.
Unaffiliated voters who were reminded of the corruption charges by pollsters said they’d more likely vote Republican in the Nov. 7 election, when all 120 state legislative seats are on the ballot, according to the poll.
“Thinking about Menendez makes less partisan voters more likely to say that they’re going to vote Republican,” said Cassino. “The question is whether those voters are going to bother to show up in what’s normally a very low turnout election.”
The poll surveyed 813 randomly selected New Jersey residents between Oct. 6 and Oct. 14.
Is Bob Menendez successful in raising legal defense funds?
Yes.
Bob Menendez has raised nearly $275K to fight federal corruption charges, report says
Sen. Bob Menendez raised $274,500 from a maritime union, political action committees and longtime political donors for his new legal defense fund through the end of September to help him cover legal expenses relating to federal bribery charges he and his wife face that were unsealed on Sept. 22.
A donor to a legal expense fund can give up to $10,000 a year. According to Washington, D.C.-based Roll Call, which viewed a report filed with the Senate Office of Public Records, those who gave the maximum to the account Menendez set up in April include South Jersey powerbroker George Norcross and his two children, Alessandra — chair and founder of PhillyVoice — and Alexander, associate at Mid Penn Bank.
But most of this money was donated BEFORE the unsealing of the indictment
William Tambussi of the New Jersey firm Brown & Connery, said in an email to NorthJersey.com that his $10,000 contribution "was made in recognition of Sen. Menendez’ support of South Jersey over his tenure. Unfortunately, the contribution was made prior to the recent indictment. The contribution would not have been made if the indictment was available at that time."
Also among the 21 donors who wrote $10,000 checks were brothers David and Michael Barry, co-owners of Hoboken-based Ironstate Development Co.; John Graham, founder and CEO of Fairview Insurance Agency Associates, Inc; Michael Perrucci, cofounder and partner of Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor; and James Cecchi, member at Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Brody & Agnello, P.C.
Overall, 35 people and organizations contributed to the legal account.
Has Senator Menendez been in trouble with the law before?
Yes.
The jury is deadlocked in Bob Menendez’s trial
The Democratic senator is on trial for corruption charges.
Andrew Prokop is a senior politics correspondent at Vox, covering the White House, elections, and political scandals and investigations. He’s worked at Vox since the site’s launch in 2014, and before that, he worked as a research assistant at the New Yorker’s Washington, DC, bureau.
The jury trying to decide Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) corruption case is deadlocked. The foreman sent word to US District Court Judge William Walls on Monday that they could not reach unanimous agreement on any of the charges Menendez is facing.
The trial’s not over yet — Judge Walls dismissed the jury and requested that they continue deliberations again the next day. But the chances that it will end in a mistrial seem to be rising.
Prosecutors are alleging that Menendez accepted expensive gifts from a wealthy supporter and friend, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in exchange for intervening on behalf of the doctor’s business interests with government officials (and trying to get visas for the doctor’s girlfriends). Menendez asserts he’s done nothing wrong.