Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Senator Menendez Guilty in Corruption Trial
US New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez is a felon. A jury convicted him yesterday in a trial that last two months and detailed significant corruption. This is the second time the senator has faced charges like this, and the previous case appears to have been decided wrongly. Robert Menendez is crooked, and it has all finally caught up to him. He faces decades in jail, and Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for the New Jersey senator to resign from the upper chamber. The Democrats in New Jersey have already picked Congressman Andy Kim to run for the seat this November, and Mr. Menendez is trying for re-election as an independent. The only thing the senator can salvage from this is some dignity, and that will only happen if he quit politics immediately.
Mother Jones reported:
Federal prosecutors had accused Menendez of accepting bribes in exchange for using his clout as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit Qatar, Egypt, and several personal associates. In June 2022, the FBI found evidence of the bribery scheme at his New Jersey home – gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and home furnishings, as well as more than $480,000 in cash hidden in envelopes, clothing, closets, and a safe. The senator pleaded not guilty and claimed that he wasn't aware of the money in the bedroom closet because his wife, Nadine, kept the door locked. Nadine was also charged but her trial has been postponed indefinitely as she recovers from breast cancer surgery. One of the couple's co-defendants, Jose Uribe, pleased guilty in March and testified against Menendez at trial.
The Bergen Country Record, a paper of signficant note in his state, reminded everyone, "Menendez was also indicted a decade ago. A 2017 investigation probed ties between Menendez and his longtime friend and donor Salomon Melgen. They stood trial in federal court in connection with alleged favors given to Melgen after he paid for trips and expenses for Menendez."
The time ljne shows that he began the shenanigans that brought about his conviction around one month after this first case ended with a 10-2 vote for acquittal. Prosecutors decided not to try him again. It appears that they might have erred in that decision.
Senator Menendez has vowed to appeal and has promised that the appeal will vindicate him. This journal is dubious of that claim. The fact is that this sort of case is very hard to win on appeal. The appeal will take quite some time, however, and he will be out of jail while the appeal goes on. He will be able to look at the TV cameras during the campaign and say that the jury got it wrong, that all will be well. However, people are entitled to their own delusions about who and what they are.
This mess does not really hurt the Democrats. Congressman Kim is likely to hold the seat. It allows the Biden administration to counter the Trumpist lie that the Democrats have weaponized the Justice Department, as if the Hunter Biden kerfuffle were not adequate evidence. It also creates a sleaze issue for the Democrats to use against the GOP, the grifter party.
Corruption among legislators is one of the keys to destroying a republic. When the laws are for sale, justice and wisdom take a back seat. Mr. Menendez has wrecked his own life and caused his family grief. He has also betrayed his constituents. They are the real victims here, regardless of how the senator tries to spin it.
Was it worth it, Bob?
© Copyright 2024 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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