Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty on all counts in corruption charges
By: NBC News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was found guilty on all counts after his trial on charges of accepting bribes, including cash and gold bars, to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York whose office prosecuted the case, hailed the verdict, saying Menendez's "years of selling his office to the higher bidder have finally come to an end."
Menendez had his hands crossed and his chin resting on his hands as some of the verdict was read and didn't display any emotion. He then shook his head in disagreement as the jurors were polled about the verdict. Some of his family members broke down in tears. He'll be sentenced Oct. 29.
Menendez told reporters outside the courthouse he was "deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury's decision" and predicted, "we will be successful upon appeal."
"I have never violated my public oath," he said. He did not answer questions about whether he would resign.
Menendez was charged with 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, acting as a foreign agent, obstruction of justice and several counts of conspiracy. He had pleaded not guilty in the case, as did his wife, Nadine Menendez, whose trial was delayed indefinitely following her surgery after a breast cancer diagnosis.
The jury deliberated for about 12 1/2 hours over three days before returning the verdicts.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Menendez to resign after the jury's decision. "In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," said Schumer.
Schumer had previously said he was disappointed in his colleague and that Menendez hadn't lived up to the high standards expected of a senator, but had stopped short of calling for his resignation.
Prosecutors said three businessmen paid bribes to Menendez and his wife in exchange for the senator taking actions to benefit them and the governments of Qatar and Egypt. According to prosecutors, those bribes included gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz given to Nadine Menendez and more than $480,000 in cash, which the FBI found stuffed into closets, jackets bearing Menendez's name and other clothing when the bureau searched his New Jersey home in 2022.
Two of those businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, faced trial alongside Menendez. and were convicted on all counts as well. The third businessman who was charged,Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified during the trial, which lasted nine weeks before going to the jury Friday.
Menendez did not testify in his own defense; his team argued that he was acting on behalf of his constituents, as any senator should, and that the government had not proven that the cash or gold bars were given as bribes.
The verdict lands just months before Menendez's Senate seat comes before New Jersey voters this fall. Menendez decided months ago, as his popularity took a hit, that he wouldn't seek the Democratic nomination. But he filed to run as an independent, a move that threatened to complicate the dynamics in a race that would ordinarily be a layup for Democrats in the liberal state. The Democratic nominee for the seat is Rep. Andy Kim and the Republican nominee is Curtis Bashaw.
Menendez must now decide whether to continue pursuing that run. In March, he had indicated in a video statement that his candidacy could hinge on whether he's exonerated of the charges. "I am hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election," Menendez said at the time.
Kim said after the verdict that it was "a sad and somber day for New Jersey and our country."
"I called on Senator Menendez to step down when these charges were first made public, and now that he has been found guilty, I believe the only course of action for him is to resign his seat immediately. The people of New Jersey deserve better," Kim said.
It was the second corruption trial of Menendez's 18-year career in the Senate — the previous one resulted in a mistrial due to a hung jury in 2018, and the Justice Department subsequently dropped the charges against him; Menendez had also denied wrongdoing in that case.
Menendez previously served for 13 years in the House and was elected to the Senate in 2006, eventually rising to become the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His political career dates back nearly four decades to the mid-1980s, when he became mayor of Union City.
The outcome could affect whether he serves out his term. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has led the charge to push Menendez out for months, disparaging and mocking him as too corrupt to serve. A majority of Senate Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., as well as most of the state's Democratic House delegation, had also called for Menendez to resign even before the trial.
Though Menendez stepped aside as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee after the charges were brought, he has stayed on as a voting member of the committee and the Senate.
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If Menendez declared that he is now a Republican all the right wingers would suddenly be screaming that he's an innocent political prisoner, that his prosecution was a corrupt witch hunt, "lawfare", and the Republicans in Congress would be demanding an investigation into the judge, the prosecutors and all their families members.
Seriously, tho. He needs to resign. If he won't go willingly, the Senate needs to find a way to throw him out
He should resign immediately. If he refuses to resign the Senate should exercise their constitutional authority and expel him.
I wasn't sure if they had the power to throw him out. Thanks for the info
Article 1, Section 5. They've done it before. The last Senator expelled was Bob Packwood from Oregon in 1995. Just like the House expelled the looney tunes George Santos (or whatever name he is using now) in 2023.
Correction: Packwood resigned under threat of expulsion. It appears the last Senators actually expelled were from the Civil War era.
Since he's a Democrat, I'm sure they'll do it post haste
For some reason I remember Bob Packwood!
they have a way to do that , i believe its called censure ., and a vote to expel .
Seems like I've heard that term before (lol). Brain is a bit fuzzy these days
its probably his sexually suggestive name...
bob packwood -
- 
Democrats trash criminals and liars in their ranks and expel them.
Republicans idolize criminals and liars in their ranks and promote them.
Fox/Murdoch set this tone decades ago.
funny how the law and order party convention featured so many convicted felons on stage...
It's just incredible. What a disgrace.
I heard this on the radio when I was heading home for lunch. Then when I got back to the office I see the case against his wife has been postponed indefinitely while she's going through cancer treatments.
I heard the same thing about his wife.
she looks tough, she'll probably survive that and being run over by the bus her husband threw her under...
he checks all the right boxes now...
But no sex scandal or hypocritical Christian beliefs
Yep, a Republican role model. They would embrace him with open arms.
That we know of
lol
bingo
Dem. or repub - a sleazebag is a sleazebag
After they made him sign a contract to oppose women's rights and to protect other republicans no matter the crime and no matter what actions need to be taken to protect him.
don't forget the mandatory trip to mar-a-lardo to bend the knee and kiss the ring...
Not this one.
Sure they would. It's like a Pavlovian response.
he's not pious enough?
Well, you get to have your opinion, but I think such would be hard to defend in light of George Santos being expelled from the House.
democrat US attorney prosecutes and convicts democrat US senator soon to be expelled by US senate majority democrats ...
oops, I meant kiss trump's ass...
Goldbar Bob bit the dust.
goldbar Bob - I like it
bleach blondes cause brain damage in men ...
Sen Menendez should be expelled immediately from the Senate
Yes, right after all those involved with 1/6 - every single republicon
Although I do agree about Menendez.
Yes, right after all those involved with 1/6 - every single republican
Were any Republican senators convicted of charges related to Jan 6?[✘]
convictions don't matter to the GOP anymore...
Almost like it's a requirement
it's a maga virtue now...
I suspect the left wants him to hang on, since getting rid of him will lose them a Senate seat.
Republicans expelled George santos without a conviction. Look at how proud democrats are for now, finally, being open to the possibility of expelling a literal foreign agent from the senate.
He's still a Senator until and unless he is expelled.
So they shouldn't oust him???????
The Democrats have a candidate running for Menendez's seat, Rep. Andy Kim. Menendez is running as an independent. The Republicans have some guy. The Democrats definitely want Menendez out of the race so he doesn't split the Democratic vote in what should be an easy Democratic victory.
Uh no.
[✘]
Has Menendez got his Cameo account set up yet?
maybe if he becomes a trump supporter trump will pardon him like he did with blagojevich
Exactly, bipartisan gestures.