Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty on all accounts in his corruption trial on July 16th, 2024; Tuesday. He was being trialed on 16 accounts where he was involved in schemes like taking bribes, including gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz, in exchange for helping foreign governments.
This trial lasted for 9 weeks. The jury deliberated for about 13 hours over three days. Formerly the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is now suspected of his years in prison. According to democratic lawmakers, Bob has to step down from Congress because of his unlawful convictions.
“Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” said Democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer in a statement.
Accusations of Bob Menendez
Federal prosecutors in New York alleged that Bob Menendez was highly involved in bribery. They alleged him of accepting hundreds of dollars of bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, mortgage payments, and more in exchange for the senator’s political clout.
Three businessmen were also charged. The government of Egypt and Qatar was also charged with them. They were accused of the former recipients. Two of those co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were also convicted of all counts they faced.
“I have never violated my oath,” Bob Menendez said outside the courthouse Tuesday. “I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent.”
He added that the jury’s decision would “put at risk every member of the United States Senate in terms of what they think a foreign agent would be.”
He hasn’t made any statements about his resignation yet. Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for his resignation immediately after the verdict. “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” he said. If the senator refuses to vacate his office, Murphy said he will call on the U.S. Senate to expel him.
The committee said it will consider the “full range of disciplinary actions available under the Rules of Procedure,” which include expulsion and censure. He will be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces decades in prison.
Shocking Levels Of Corruption
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, whose office prosecuted the case, said following the verdict that this “has always been about shocking levels of corruption. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz. This wasn’t politics as usual; this was politics for profit,” Williams said in a statement.
“Because Senator Menendez has now been found guilty, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end. Corruption isn’t costless: it erodes public trust and undermines the rule of law. That’s why we’re so committed to fighting it, regardless of political party,” he added.
The FBI found gold bars and more than $400,000 worth of cash was found stuffed in envelopes, jackets, and shoes at this house. The prosecutor claimed that Bob Menendez put his power up for sale for gold bars, cash, and cheques to his wife for a no-show job and a Mercedes-Benz convertible.
“It wasn’t enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington,” federal prosecutor Paul Monteleone said during his closing argument on July 8. “Robert Menendez wanted all that power and he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife.”
This marked the senator’s second corruption charge. A previous indictment in 2015 resulted in a mistrial in 2018 when the jury could not reach a verdict on any counts.
