Simply as an onslaught of Democratic senators have demanded indicted Bob Menendez hand in his resignation, the New Jersey senator has discovered unusual bedfellows in a few of his Republican colleagues.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., expressed distrust within the Division of Justice, which late final week charged Menendez with a slew of salacious crimes.
‘The costs in opposition to Senator Menendez are severe and troubling. On the identical time, the Division of Justice has a troubling document of failure and corruption in instances in opposition to public figures, from Ted Stevens to Bob McDonnell to Donald Trump to Bob Menendez the final time round,’ Cotton wrote on X.
Some 18 Democratic senators have publicly known as on Menendez to step down, whilst he remained defiant and stated he wouldn’t accomplish that.
Menendez and his spouse Nadine Arslanian have been indicted Friday over allegedly accepting over $600,000 in bribes.
He’s denied the allegations however stepped approach from his position as chair of the Overseas Relations Committee whereas the authorized drama performs out.
In 2015 Menendez had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami on bribery and fraud fees, however a choose later declared a mistrial and the DOJ dropped all fees in opposition to Menendez in 2018.
Simply as an onslaught of Democratic senators have demanded indicted Bob Menendez hand in his resignation, the New Jersey senator has discovered one uncommon defender in Republican Sen. Tom Cotton
For Democrats, a Menendez resignation would spell little political hassle – the state’s liberal Gov. Phil Murphy would appoint one other Democrat to the seat. Come 2024, somebody with out the political baggage can be on the poll, making it a extra possible win for Democrats.
‘The allegations in opposition to the Senior Senator from New Jersey are nasty & the proof provided tough to elucidate away,’ Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote on X. ‘However in America guilt is set by a jury, not politicians in worry of their occasion shedding a Senate seat.’
However many Republicans have spent the previous yr railing in opposition to the Division of Justice, starting with the raid of Mar-a-Lago and urgent on after accusations the division slow-walked an investigation into Hunter Biden.
Trump now faces two federal indictments, along with one out of Georgia and one out of New York.
Senator Bob Menendez proclaimed his innocence in a press convention in New Jersey
Laborious-right Republicans have known as to ‘defund’ the DOJ and the FBI – and have insisted funding for particular counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump be stripped from appropriations payments.
Requested about whether or not the New Jersey Democrat ought to resign, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Judiciary Committee, informed reporters: ‘I’d like all of my Democratic colleagues to resign.’
Speaker McCarthy did an about-face on Tuesday, when requested if he thought Menendez ought to resign.
Requested the query on Saturday, the speaker stated: ‘Yeah, very a lot so.’
Requested once more on Tuesday, he informed reporters: ‘I feel George [Santos] might have his day in courtroom, I feel Menendez ought to have his day in courtroom.’
‘His alternative on what he desires to do,’ McCarthy stated of Menendez.
The indictment claims the couple had an improper relationship with three New Jersey businessmen: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, who allegedly paid the couple in trade for Menendez to make use of his affect in Washington D.C. to their profit.
A June 2022 raid on their dwelling discovered ‘over $480,000 in money – a lot of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothes, closets, and a secure,’ the indictment notes, including Nadine had over $70,000 in a secure deposit field.
There have been two one-kilogram gold bars and eleven one-ounce gold bars.
In keeping with the indictment Menendez and his spouse accepted tons of of hundreds of {dollars} of bribes in trade for utilizing the senator’s affect to guard and enrich the businessmen.
‘These bribes included money, gold, funds towards a house mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxurious car, and different issues of worth,’ the indictment stated.
It additionally fees the senator with offering ‘delicate U.S. Authorities data and took different steps that secretly aided the Authorities of Egypt.’
Damian Williams, U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of New York, lays out the proof in opposition to Democrat U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, from New Jersey and his spouse Nadine
Prosecutors stated Hana, who’s initially from Egypt, organized dinners and conferences between Menendez and Egyptian officers in 2018.
The officers pressed Menendez on the standing of U.S. navy support and Hana put Nadine Menendez on his firm’s payroll, prosecutors stated.
On the time Egypt was one of many largest recipients of U.S. navy support, however the State Division had withheld $195 million and canceled a further $65.7 million till the nation might display enhancements on human rights and democracy.
Menendez informed Hana personal details about the standing of the help, prosecutors stated.
Menendez has denied the claims.
‘To those that have rushed to judgment, you have got finished so primarily based on a restricted set of details framed by the prosecution to be as salacious as potential,’ he stated.
‘Others have rushed to judgment as a result of they see a political alternative for themselves or these round them. All I humbly ask for on this second, in my colleagues in Congress, the elected leaders and the advocates of New Jersey that I’ve labored with for years, in addition to every one that calls New Jersey House is to pause and permit for the entire details to be introduced.’
