Bob Menendez is done, Save Jerseyans… in a month.
His decision comes one day after the U.S. Senate began the process of investigating and ultimately removing him subsequent to a federal conviction on 16 corruption counts including bribery and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
“While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work,” the disgraced senior senator explained in a letter to Governor Murphy and U.S. Senate officials on Tuesday. “Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters before the ethics committee are not privileged.”
Interestingly, Menendez isn’t resigning until August 20, 2024. That means the politician who is accused of trading favors with foreign governments (including Egypt) and shadowy characters in exchange for gifts (like cash, gold bars, a car for his wife, etc.) will remain a member of Congress for the rest of the summer.
How is that acceptable?
You’ll have to ask the Democrats who impeached and attempted to convict Donald Trump over far less but who nevertheless allowed Menendez to remain in sensitive hearings and situations LONG after the FBI raided his home last year.
“It is possible that the events laid out in the indictment represent the full breadth of interactions between Menendez and the Egyptian government. However, there is the distinct possibility that it is not, and that Egypt is in possession of other communications or actions taken by Menendez that the FBI has not yet uncovered or that has not been made public,” the website Just Security mused back in September. “The indictment notes that many of the meetings Menendez undertook with Egyptian officials took place without either his staff or other committee members being present. As a result, it is impossible to know how much leverage Egypt continues to have over Menendez, especially given that he is under criminal indictment and their release of any such information could worsen Menendez’s liability and his ability to raise funds for his defense. Under all these circumstances, Menendez is not suitable to continue to hold a position of public trust, given the number and nature of issues handled by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate itself related to Egypt’s direct and indirect interests.”
Menendez stepped down from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairmanship last September but remains on the committee as of today.
Here’s the letter:
