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” His years of selling his office to the greatest bidder have lastly pertained to an end.”
New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks after Sen. Bob Menendez is condemned on all counts in corruption trial. pic.twitter.com/cdrqyr6kbi
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 16, 2024
Menendez was seeking reelection to the Senate as an independent, although the guilty decisions rapidly raised the prospect of an expulsion vote unless he chooses to resign from office. He has already faced calls to resign from his former Democratic allies in New Jersey and on Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer launched a statement saying, “Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our nation, and resign.”
Democratic Senator Jack Reed stated on X, “He had his day in court and got a fair trial. The jury has spoken. Senator Menendez has been condemned and must resign.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy shared on X, “Todays decision […] shows that the Senator broke the law, broke the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office. In America, everybody– no matter how powerful– is liable to our laws.”
The calls for his resignation are the most recent in a series of similar appeals, dating back to 2017 when Menendez faced a different set of corruption charges.
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For months, the New Jersey senator has actually been dealing with trial for conspiracy to commit bribery, accused of trading political power for wads of money, a high-end vehicle, and gold bars.
A 12-member jury on Tuesday found Senator Bob Menendez, 70, guilty on all 16 counts in his federal corruption trial, including accepting kickbacks of gold and cash from 3 New Jersey business people and functioning as a foreign representative for the Egyptian federal government.
” I am deeply, deeply dissatisfied by the jurys decision. I have every faith that the law and the truths will not sustain that choice and that we will succeed upon appeal,” Menendez informed reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday. “I have never ever violated my public oath.”
District attorneys stated the New Jersey legislator abused the power of his office to safeguard allies from criminal examinations and enhance partners, including his wife, Nadine Menendez. This involved acts such as meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping the country gain access to millions of dollars in U.S. military help.
” Throughout this trial, you have actually heard that everyone is to blame however Menendez,” prosecutor Paul Monteleoni stated, implicating the as soon as extremely influential senator of “attempting desperately to pass the dollar.”
At the end of a nearly six-hour closing declaration delivered over two days, the prosecutor repeated the expression “blaming his other half” five times to remind jurors that Menendezs legal representatives have actually claimed that Nadine “sidelined” him from the plan and stowed away the gold bars in her safe without his knowledge.
Menendez, who deals with sentencing on October 29, preserved that he has never been anything “however a patriot of my nation and for my nation.”
” I have never ever, ever been a foreign representative, and the choice rendered by the jury today would put at threat every member of the US Senate in terms of what they think a foreign agent would be,” he said.
” I am deeply, deeply disappointed by the jurys decision. I have every faith that the law and the realities will not sustain that choice and that we will be effective upon appeal,” Menendez told press reporters outside the court house Tuesday. Democratic Senator Jack Reed stated on X, “He had his day in court and got a fair trial. The jury has actually spoken. Senator Menendez has been discovered guilty and should resign.”
