New Jersey Senator Menendez Convicted for Taking Bribes

Facts

• US Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Tuesday was convicted by a jury on all 16 felony counts he faced during his nine-week criminal trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.¹
• Menendez, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 29. He could face up to 200 years in prison, but his lawyers say they plan to appeal.²
• Menendez told reporters outside the courtroom he was 'deeply, deeply disappointed' in the decision and he predicted his appeal would be successful.³
• Prosecutors made their case that Menendez and his wife accepted bribes of thousands of dollars, gold bars, and car and mortgage payments in exchange for making sure US aid went to Egypt. Businessmen and co-defendants with Menendez — Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe — were also convicted.⁴
• Previously, Menendez in 2015 was indicted for conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud after he was found to have accepted bribes from a long-time friend and donor. A hung jury forced a mistrial and he was acquitted in 2017.⁵
• After the verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for Menendez to 'do what is right for his constituents' and resign from the Senate.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²FOX News, ³CNN, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵Daily Caller and ⁶Politico.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Atlantic. Although Menendez is a prominent Democrat, this verdict is a win for the party. Democrats were able to remove a senator who was seemingly always under suspicion of wrongdoing — offering a contrast with the Republicans, who are nominating a convicted felon for president. This also disproves the GOP's claims that Pres. Joe Biden has weaponized the Justice Department against political opponents.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Democrats shouldn't pat themselves on the back over this conviction and their calls for Menendez to resign. They've been behind Menendez for more than a decade despite suspicions — some of which led to charges — over his corruption. Even as this case unfolded, Schumer was more worried about his slim majority in the Senate than doing the right thing.

Predictions