It's about time…
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is finally coming to his senses and has called on convicted felon Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to resign.
On Tuesday, the New Jersey Senator was found guilty on all 16 counts he faced, from accepting luxurious bribes in exchange for his political clout to acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. (RELATED: Verdict Reached In Sen. Menendez's Federal Corruption Trial)
“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said in a statement.
Schumer had resisted calls to help force Menendez out of office, likely in order to protect Democrats' razor-thin majority in the U.S. Senate.
At least 30 members of the Democrat caucus, including members of the party's leadership team, had called on Menendez to resign in days following his indictment last year.
In the federal indictment, Menendez and his wife Nadine are accused of accepting bribes from three business people in exchange for actions he took as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (RELATED: US Sen. Bob Menendez and Spouse Indicted)
“Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,” the indictment said. Federal authorities reportedly found gold bars and nearly $500,000 in cash stuffed throughout the senator's home that they traced back to the businessmen Menendez allegedly worked with.
Menendez's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, according to the New York Times.
Sen. Menendez is facing up to 45 years in prison.
Shortly before the jury returned with the guilty verdict a judge overseeing Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial indefinitely delayed the trial for Nadine Menendez, who was charged alongside her husband but is set to face a separate jury due to her treatment for cancer.
Menedez has represented New Jersey in the United States Senate since 2006. Following the passing of Sen. Frank Lautenberg in 2013, he has been the Garden State's senior senator.
More Trouble…
In addition to reportedly colluding with the Egyptian government, the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stands accused of taking payoffs to assist Qatar.
Federal prosecutors say Menendez received lavish gifts from Qatari officials, including luxury watches valued up to $24,000. The updated indictment extends the timeline of Menendez's alleged corruption scheme into 2023 – a year longer than previously stated. (RELATED: United States Senator Bob Menendez Charged With Aiding Middle East Government)
An earlier indictment in October alleged Menendez “provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt.”
Crimes Committed At Home…
The couple is also under suspicion following revelations in the October indictment that Nadine struck and killed a man, Richard Koop – feet from his home – while zipping around in a Mercedes-Benz sedan in 2018. She told first responders that Koop leaped in front of her car.
The deference police officers showed Nadine at the scene, their lack of willingness to investigate and the subsequent media blackout led to speculation Sen. Menendez intervened.
A retired officer who arrived at the “accident” can be heard on dashcam footage saying that he came as “a favor.” The New York Times noted that officers never tested Nadine for drugs or alcohol. They released her without a summons.
Days later, investigators appeared at local bars to determine Koop's activity in the hours leading up to his death:
Mr. Koop's sister, Rosemarie Koop-Angelicola, said the family never heard a word from Ms. Menendez or the senator after the crash, and little from local authorities.
“The family really has had serious concerns over what we felt was a very sparse, one-sided investigation,” Ms. Koop-Angelicola said in an interview. “Definitely a lack of legal enthusiasm to take this case, definite lack of media coverage, and a lack of communication by the authorities of Bergen County. We felt that the whole thing was very silently swept under the rug.”
…
In an interview, a lawyer for Ms. Menendez, David Schertler, called the car crash a “tragic accident,” but one that was unrelated to the charges she is currently facing.
“My understanding was this individual ran in front of her car, and she was not at fault,” Mr. Schertler said.
Meanwhile, the senator refuses to resign.
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