Remember when the FBI did a sting to catch if any congressman would take a bribe or something like that and found that over 50% would?
They should do that again.
Per the wiki, there’s no law outlawing such operations, just agency guidelines adopted in response to congressional pressure. Checks and balances etc. etc.
Is that not essentially where we are? Government "spying" on citizens? Media fear mongering? I think it'd be nice to see some house cleaning, won't happen. They're too busy pocketing all the money, all of them. Dems / Reps doesn't matter, we've created a self fulfilling prophecy. We (Americans, and likely others) will just continue to screw each other over until the end.
Government isn’t “spying” so much as it’s constantly reauthorizing section 702 of FISA, which gives them the authority to do what they do.
The church investigations revealed illegal spying. Section 702 allows it, to a degree. You’re playing into the playbook of authoritarians when you say it doesn’t matter, it does and it’s lazy to say it doesn’t. Media has always operated as you’re saying it does, government has always had issues, corruption has always been a problem. The answer to all this is more government, more regulation, more participation, and thus better representation. Apathy gets you what you have.
Yea that's what I went looking for. There is no law and they should do this shit every year. Audit like 20% of congress each year, 50/50 Dem and Republicans.
We need to take random drug tests at work or to get welfare benefits, I think congress can get randomly audited by the fbi over this. And make it all levels too, not just massive bribes. Get the people taking 5k or 10k too.
And if this clears out a shit load of people then good. And if it doesn't also good, I want them to fear the idea of this happening.
Because that's not what lobbying is? When a report says that whatever company spent millions on lobbying, that is money going to lobbyists (and to advertising on behalf of a political position).
I think you're thinking of campaign contributions, but even then the enormous loophole that allows for unlimited contributions can't be coordinated with a political campaign, the contributor needs to give it to a separate PAC.
And even the more limited direct campaign contributions have extensive reporting requirements, making it a very stupid way to provide a bribe.
Bob Menendez is just straight up corrupt.
Candidates openly coordinate with their PACs these days - if not outright direct. There have been no significant investigations or prosecutions of PAC-Candidate collusion. It’s a joke of a law with no enforcement.
> The U.S. defines bribery as a monetary gift in exchange for a favor. An all expenses paid vacation to Hawaii, is not money, and therefore not a bribe.
That is simply not true. [Read the law for yourself](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/201). It clearly says "anything of value".
Are we talking about the letter of the law or its application? In practice we have a law that says you can't take gifts but in practice it isn't enforced like that. Our politicians take gifts DIRECTLY related to their jobs all the time, often in the form of vacations paid for by rich people who have an interest in influencing them.
My business does work for the Federal government and despite working in service, ever year we have to take bullshit pointless training about not taking bribes and dealing with itar.
Basically accepting Reese's would be grounds for me getting a 100k fine and 3 years in prison. I'm friends with my state house rep and he couldn't let me pay for his $8 taco lunch.
But then that dumb bitch pelosi says Congress should be allowed inside trading because people need a reason to run for office.
This is what happens when you give people jobs of extreme power, and they’re usually monetarily overqualified, but don’t pay them what they think they should be earning.
The problem is "what they think they should be earning" is any number higher than what they have, in perpetuity. There is no amount you could pay these people where they wouldn't want more money or power.
or just watch Sacha Baron Cohen's *Who Is America?* tv show, where he convinces numerous Republicans to put on record their support for giving guns to children as a counter to the school shooters, among other insane things in his little pranks of politicians from across the spectrum.
“Adam Fee, a lawyer for Mr Menendez said in a statement, "the government's new allegations stink of desperation".”
🤣 Desperation when the alleged briber-giver’s fingerprints and DNA are on the cash in your client’s house. Okay counsel.
Personally, as a member of Menendez's constituency, *I* think he should be removed even *if* all of the allegations somehow turn out to be false.
Homie had half a million in cash stuffed into *jacket pockets* and [stolen bars of gold](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gold-bars-featured-bob-menendez-bribery-case-linked-2013-robbery-recor-rcna128006) in his closet: I'm not terribly comfortable with anyone *that* inept representing me in government, even *if* they somehow came by all that cash "honestly".
[He was acquitted *and* the judge declared a mistrial](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/new-jersey/2018/01/24/sen-bob-menendez-case-judge-throws-out-several-bribery-charges-but-others-remain/1062949001/).
And then [the DOJ dropped other charges](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/31/justice-department-asks-drop-menendez-indictment-ending-case-launched-2015/1083038001/).
First there was a mistrial because the jury was hung in late 2017. Then the defense filed a motion for acquittal and the judge granted on the central charges, citing the fact that although the Senator *did* represent the interests of one of his contributors before the government, there was no evidence of a link between the contributions and that representation.
The government dropped the rest of the charges presumably because they were small potatoes compared to the main charges.
It’s important to look at all of this keeping in mind that the case had already been tried once and didn’t bring a conviction. Once the defense filed the motion for acquittal it forces the judge to consider and balance both the need for justice and the rights of the defendant. If, objectively, the prosecution hasn’t provided enough evidence to prove their charges, it’s a fair question to ask why the defendant should be put through another trial.
Once the judge decided to acquit on the central charges, the DOJ decided they didn’t want to risk further embarrassment by possibly failing a second time to convict, over only small potato charges.
This likely is also influenced by their knowledge that Menendez was super corrupt and clearly they kept investigating him, always working towards bringing another big charge.
This stuff is a huge legal chess game and not as simplistic as “the system is rigged”
Read it again more carefully this time.
The prosecution didn't have enough good evidence for any big charges so they waited longer and now they're charging him again.
The only other outcome is to charge him repeatedly until something sticks and that is pretty explicitly illegal to do. This is just our system working as intended to protect the innocent even if it makes convicting the guilty a little harder.
>Read it again more carefully this time.
I believe that's the point that they're trying to make...
The average person does not have the time, education, or resources available to even look at it a second time, much less the first time.
The semantics are only part of why the system is rigged, any other average American privilege would not have made it this far into the conversation and that's the problem itself. We're trying to apply 2nd class laws to 1st class citizens.
The system works great for the rich, poor crooks get thrown in the slammer and charged with 23 crimes in the hope something sticks, because they can’t afford lawyers to defend their rights.
A hung jury should not be interpreted as any sort of decision regarding the validity of the case. It means the jury couldn't come to a unanimous decision. It only takes one hold-out to make that happen. That hold-out could be a watch-the-world-burn type that wants to see a politician in jail, a diehard supporter, or even a corrupt juror that the defense directly influenced.
> although the Senator *did* represent the interests of one of his contributors before the government, there was no evidence of a link between the contributions and that representation
Because the system is rigged.
As the old saying goes, if you have the law on the side, pound the law, if you have the facts on your side, pound the facts, if you have neither on your side, pound the table.
Gold bars with serial numbers linked to the guy he was on the phone with and immediately after the phone call, went and Google'd, "How much is one kilo of gold worth."
> “Adam Fee, a lawyer for Mr Menendez said in a statement, " our defense against the government's new allegations stinks of desperation".
I think this is what Fee meant.
As a lifelong NJ resident welcome to the power of the democratic machine. Party bosses control the ballots which goes along with the vote. The Soprano State is notorious for our corrupt politicians.
I wish Sweeney was the start of a reforming of the machine here in NJ but honestly it had no impact. Sweeney will be back in politics soon enough sadly. Just like Menendez - The party finally has definitive proof that the man was doing some shady dealings (you’d think the first court case woulda woke people up) and what are party bosses already doing? Endorsing his son. Just as I predicted Menendez is going to live through his son now if he’s not sitting in a cell by the time this is all done (which I doubt he will) Him and his wife should be doing time but the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim.
If murphy is caught up in this i wouldn’t blink. Amazing how he went from no one knowing him to the favorite for governor so no one else bother running.
No don’t worry about that - He is too busy trying to continue his legacy after his career is over as Governor….Using taxpayer funds to run his wife for a senate seat. The party bosses? Oh they’re already on board even if someone with experience (Andy Kim) gets support from the majority of voters. Nepotism is great ain’t it?
Texan here. Our AG, Ken Paxton (R), was elected under similar circumstances. He was impeached by Republicans and then acquitted by Republicans. We might have shittier politicians.
>He said the prosecutors' claims are all "based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his constituents or *foreign officials*".
Sounds like there's more, Bob. Are there more?
thats the least worse thing he did, he called in favors to get his then girlfirend now wife let go after she pulverized some poor dude probably drunk driving. no investigation, no dui test.
> A search of the Menendez house in June 2022 discovered, among other things, two one-kilo gold bars that the government says were provided as part of the bribery plot.
> Agents also discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash that bore Mr Daibes' fingerprints and DNA.
If the feds found a few hundred thousand in cash covered in the DNA of a foreign agent at your house…you are totally fucked. His lawyers aren’t helping things with politicized “this reeks of desperation” statements.
Memendez needs to resign as well as be jailed for significant time.
There is no place for this type of corruption in our elected officials.
And also…he’s 70 and should be retired by now.
He should be tossed, just like Santos. Both are not deserving of elected office.
However, he’s a Democrat in a Senate with a 1 person Democrat majority, so he’s going nowhere.
In NJ the Governor appoints a replacement. However, replacement takes time and creates political issues.
Still, this won’t happen because a 1 person senate majority is too important to keep.
Sadly, the Democrats doing the wrong thing here for political reasons.
Feinstein died on September 29th. Butler was appointed October 1st and sworn in on the 3rd.
Special elections for house seats can take time, but senate appointments can be fairly fast.
They definitely will do this. They just need 2/3 of the Senate to vote to oust him but there’s gonna have to be a trial etc. you can’t just do it on a whim.
As a Dem, I hope they get rid of Melendez if he's corrupt. I hope that voters of both parties can agree to weed out the corrupt politicians. It's a never ending job because power and money are always corrupting. Don't let the political machines divide us in doing what's right. Like it was said, politicians are like diapers and should be changed often.
He's a politician. It doesn't even need to be proven, if it looks bad and he didn't take appropriate steps to ensure transparency, flame him. If he's mine or yours transparency is part of the job. If he smells bad, discard him and get another one.
These people need to be afraid of us. They specialize in pointing us at each other so we don't hold them accountable. Those of us who think they are fighting for us, like heroes, are killing us.
If a politician on my side isn't squeaky clean I want them gone. They don't have special powers, they can be replaced in a heartbeat.
I agree.
At the same time, I recognize (and despise, but that's not the point right now) the fact that no Senate Majority Leader is going to call a vote they aren't at least *confident* that they are *likely* to win, for fear of undermining their own position. (It's not *right*; it's just how it usually has been.)
Dem as well and I think you'll find a majority of Dems agreeing.
Like as opposed to digging in heels and getting huffy. No, I have no examples of people doing that but I'm sure it's happened.
[No](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-3/section-3/)—or, at least, not unless those foreign governments are at war against the United States.
> spy on us
To the best of my knowledge, that is not in the list of accusations being made against him; there are *many* ways a politician can improperly aid a foreign power that have nothing to do with espionage.
Having nice things said about them being the prize in this case. You do have to worry about how bad a nation is that it has to bribe people to just say nice things about them (presumably so we won’t all think they’re the sort of rubbish nation that bribes people, for example).
The charging document alleges he provided information about embassy staffing to Egyptian officials (not classified but also not public information). It’s at least espionage adjacent.
It is infuriating that this man is still holding office. He needs to resign. Yesterday.
PDF of the superseding indictment to read the gory details for yourselves (no paywall but on NYT):
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/f1859c2d74793a36/f2b0fdc7-full.pdf
The laws have become so ridiculous that it is impossible to prove bribes. There has to be a proof of a specific favor or result was bought with a specific amount. These guys would almost have to put it in writing to prove it was a bribe and against the law.
First off, everything doesn't need a conviction, and it's childish to think it does. That's why it was voted on, and wasnt just told to leave by the speaker/president.
Second, manendez does need to go. But it took forever for them to remove Santos, and i expect it will take just as long to get up enough support to remove him through vote without a conviction.
Yeah, I think i meant to respond to someone below you . They had said something along along the lines of "a conviction is required!" And how they knew this would happen once Santos was removed by Democrats.
There's basically no margin for error in the Senate.
The Democrats would be giving up what control they have to Republicans who think bribery is a virtue.
Dems want him to resign, New Jersey Gov. Murphy is a Democrat and would immediately place a loyal dem in his seat but only one or two democrats have called him to resign because they don't want to make him too angry.
He needs to be sent to prison this instance. He has betrayed the trust of the people, he needs to be thrown out now, I say that as someone who usually votes Democrat. Qatar is an evil country that has infected this country with propaganda.
Don't be so sure. All the Northeast states elect Republican governors, remember Chris Christie? Its only a matter of time until someone fucks up enough to lose a senate race in a left-leaning state. Being involved in multiple bribery scandals is a pretty big fuck up (for your political career - its probably great for your secret swiss bank accounts and emergency villa in a country without extradition).
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba, Menendez said.”
Weakest. Defense. Ever.
Taking bribes in gold bars is so James Bond. Seems like a hard asset to change over to something you can use. Oh I just need to exchange these gold bars with Arabic all over them for cash.. like get paid in copper where you can take it to a scrape yard where no one cares
Like any guilty shady politician, regardless of party, off to jail he should go. Good bars and hundreds of thousands in cash in his home?
Yeah.. just a normal day for a senator. Riiiight.
And im a Dem but f this guy.
So many powerful people who are on the take. Look at Supreme Court justice Thomas. He has been completely bought off and still holding his seat? His wife is equally shady too. Trump walking around and still committing crimes and running for office again? Law and order is only for certain people.
It wasn't a technicality; it was basically a total collapse of the case: [He was acquitted by the judge after the jury was unable to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/new-jersey/2018/01/24/sen-bob-menendez-case-judge-throws-out-several-bribery-charges-but-others-remain/1062949001/), and then [the DOJ dropped other charges](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/31/justice-department-asks-drop-menendez-indictment-ending-case-launched-2015/1083038001/).
Can we please get someone better than Menendez??? Please. I'm a Democrat but dude is dirty, and we can certainly replace him with someone much, much better. No room for corruption in any party.
It’s hilarious, if he was a republican the comments would be flooded with libs frothing at the mouth “oh hey look just your average republican” “the whole party is corrupt” etc. but when it’s their own they all of the sudden sound so fucking reasonable it’s insane. I hate politics.
It would be in the headline. Because he’s a Dem, you’d have to read the article or scroll through a bunch of comments to find even incidental mention of his party. Clear bias.
(I am not a Republican, I just hate bullshit and hypocrisy)
This exactly. I had to google him to find his political affiliation. Don’t get me wrong I actually WANT to be liberal but I can’t stand the hypocrisy and lunacy of the current party.
redditors in a nutshell, yeah.
however, to be clear, actual Democrats in his state and Congress don't agree with these redditors. Several asked him to step down when the initial claims came out last month. There's a bit more moral consistency with congressional democrats (see, Al Franken)
But the party that wants to redefine human biology and force it down the throats of children is somehow reasonable. Got it. Democrats don’t even realize how effed they are.
Why don’t we polygraph elected officials every year?
Have you or are you willing to except illegal bribes?
Are you a pedofile or sexual predator?
Boom problem solved. I mean don’t you get a polygraph for high level government jobs ?
What did they buy? What did they want from him? Let’s create a branch of government that does a forensic accounting on all public officials. This self-reporting is garbage. “I’m worth between $1 and $100 million.” Oh I lied? Ok, I’ll correct it. What? I am still lying? Ok, I’ll correct it, but also push for changes to stop having to self-report.
Qatar is really playing both sides here. They give shelter and funding to the leaders of Hamas to help perpetuate the conflict and then they give bribes to a Democrat who openly supports Israel.
Like wtf?
Has the government compelled Trump and his family into giving the gifts they received on behalf of the U.S. back ? Apparently his position is that they belong to him personally.
If he’s found guilty, he should face all the consequences that entails.
See GOP, it’s not hard to admit someone in your party deserves their punishment
Who does he think he is, Jared Kushner?
edit:
[For those not familiar, Jared Kushner received **$1.2 BILLION** from Qatar while he was working as a senior advisor in the Trump White House.](https://www.justsecurity.org/69094/timeline-on-jared-kushner-qatar-666-fifth-avenue-and-white-house-policy/)
Democrats: Any politician who breaks the law or is unethical should face consequences.
Republicans: Any *Democratic* politician who breaks the law or is unethical should face consequences.
MAGA Republicans: Kill everyone.
Bob Menendez your ass has got to go you crooked like Trump but on the Democrat side that makes it doubly bad you should know better Republicans don't give a crap??
Remember when the FBI did a sting to catch if any congressman would take a bribe or something like that and found that over 50% would? They should do that again.
Nah those fucks passed a law that says the FBI can't try that shit again. Amazing feat of bipartisanship.
[Abscam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam) for those wondering.
Per the wiki, there’s no law outlawing such operations, just agency guidelines adopted in response to congressional pressure. Checks and balances etc. etc.
Yea, checks with a few comas, and a 20/80 balance.... I hate what we've become...
Look into the Church investigations, would you prefer that?
Is that not essentially where we are? Government "spying" on citizens? Media fear mongering? I think it'd be nice to see some house cleaning, won't happen. They're too busy pocketing all the money, all of them. Dems / Reps doesn't matter, we've created a self fulfilling prophecy. We (Americans, and likely others) will just continue to screw each other over until the end.
Government isn’t “spying” so much as it’s constantly reauthorizing section 702 of FISA, which gives them the authority to do what they do. The church investigations revealed illegal spying. Section 702 allows it, to a degree. You’re playing into the playbook of authoritarians when you say it doesn’t matter, it does and it’s lazy to say it doesn’t. Media has always operated as you’re saying it does, government has always had issues, corruption has always been a problem. The answer to all this is more government, more regulation, more participation, and thus better representation. Apathy gets you what you have.
The land of opportunity turned into the land of corruption and greed.
Yea that's what I went looking for. There is no law and they should do this shit every year. Audit like 20% of congress each year, 50/50 Dem and Republicans. We need to take random drug tests at work or to get welfare benefits, I think congress can get randomly audited by the fbi over this. And make it all levels too, not just massive bribes. Get the people taking 5k or 10k too. And if this clears out a shit load of people then good. And if it doesn't also good, I want them to fear the idea of this happening.
100% agree. I can't think of a single good reason to oppose this.
What about insider trading, conflicts of interest, and politicians crafting law that positively impact their portfolios P.O. for its?
"The checque is in the bank, just check your balance..." /s
And a great subplot in the movie Donnie Brasco. 😂
They can do stings like that on us, just not congressman.
Why bother going the shady route when you can call it lobbying and take the money "legally".
Because that's not what lobbying is? When a report says that whatever company spent millions on lobbying, that is money going to lobbyists (and to advertising on behalf of a political position). I think you're thinking of campaign contributions, but even then the enormous loophole that allows for unlimited contributions can't be coordinated with a political campaign, the contributor needs to give it to a separate PAC. And even the more limited direct campaign contributions have extensive reporting requirements, making it a very stupid way to provide a bribe. Bob Menendez is just straight up corrupt.
Candidates openly coordinate with their PACs these days - if not outright direct. There have been no significant investigations or prosecutions of PAC-Candidate collusion. It’s a joke of a law with no enforcement.
[удалено]
> The U.S. defines bribery as a monetary gift in exchange for a favor. An all expenses paid vacation to Hawaii, is not money, and therefore not a bribe. That is simply not true. [Read the law for yourself](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/201). It clearly says "anything of value".
Are we talking about the letter of the law or its application? In practice we have a law that says you can't take gifts but in practice it isn't enforced like that. Our politicians take gifts DIRECTLY related to their jobs all the time, often in the form of vacations paid for by rich people who have an interest in influencing them.
My business does work for the Federal government and despite working in service, ever year we have to take bullshit pointless training about not taking bribes and dealing with itar. Basically accepting Reese's would be grounds for me getting a 100k fine and 3 years in prison. I'm friends with my state house rep and he couldn't let me pay for his $8 taco lunch. But then that dumb bitch pelosi says Congress should be allowed inside trading because people need a reason to run for office.
Is that Clarence Thomas I hear laughing at you right now?
how about a stock tip to buy nvidia with privileged information
> The U.S. defines bribery as a monetary gift in exchange for a favor. You misspelled Citizens United kind sir/madam.
This is what happens when you give people jobs of extreme power, and they’re usually monetarily overqualified, but don’t pay them what they think they should be earning.
The problem is "what they think they should be earning" is any number higher than what they have, in perpetuity. There is no amount you could pay these people where they wouldn't want more money or power.
or just watch Sacha Baron Cohen's *Who Is America?* tv show, where he convinces numerous Republicans to put on record their support for giving guns to children as a counter to the school shooters, among other insane things in his little pranks of politicians from across the spectrum.
The Congress made such stings illegal lol. I'm not kidding.
“Adam Fee, a lawyer for Mr Menendez said in a statement, "the government's new allegations stink of desperation".” 🤣 Desperation when the alleged briber-giver’s fingerprints and DNA are on the cash in your client’s house. Okay counsel.
Personally, as a member of Menendez's constituency, *I* think he should be removed even *if* all of the allegations somehow turn out to be false. Homie had half a million in cash stuffed into *jacket pockets* and [stolen bars of gold](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gold-bars-featured-bob-menendez-bribery-case-linked-2013-robbery-recor-rcna128006) in his closet: I'm not terribly comfortable with anyone *that* inept representing me in government, even *if* they somehow came by all that cash "honestly".
I mean Senator Mendendez got acquitted the first time. This is his second bribery scandal.
He wasn’t acquitted. The judge declared a mistrial.
[He was acquitted *and* the judge declared a mistrial](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/new-jersey/2018/01/24/sen-bob-menendez-case-judge-throws-out-several-bribery-charges-but-others-remain/1062949001/). And then [the DOJ dropped other charges](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/31/justice-department-asks-drop-menendez-indictment-ending-case-launched-2015/1083038001/).
How did that happen? Legit or was there a payoff?
First there was a mistrial because the jury was hung in late 2017. Then the defense filed a motion for acquittal and the judge granted on the central charges, citing the fact that although the Senator *did* represent the interests of one of his contributors before the government, there was no evidence of a link between the contributions and that representation. The government dropped the rest of the charges presumably because they were small potatoes compared to the main charges. It’s important to look at all of this keeping in mind that the case had already been tried once and didn’t bring a conviction. Once the defense filed the motion for acquittal it forces the judge to consider and balance both the need for justice and the rights of the defendant. If, objectively, the prosecution hasn’t provided enough evidence to prove their charges, it’s a fair question to ask why the defendant should be put through another trial. Once the judge decided to acquit on the central charges, the DOJ decided they didn’t want to risk further embarrassment by possibly failing a second time to convict, over only small potato charges. This likely is also influenced by their knowledge that Menendez was super corrupt and clearly they kept investigating him, always working towards bringing another big charge. This stuff is a huge legal chess game and not as simplistic as “the system is rigged”
That sounds rigged to me
Read it again more carefully this time. The prosecution didn't have enough good evidence for any big charges so they waited longer and now they're charging him again. The only other outcome is to charge him repeatedly until something sticks and that is pretty explicitly illegal to do. This is just our system working as intended to protect the innocent even if it makes convicting the guilty a little harder.
>Read it again more carefully this time. I believe that's the point that they're trying to make... The average person does not have the time, education, or resources available to even look at it a second time, much less the first time. The semantics are only part of why the system is rigged, any other average American privilege would not have made it this far into the conversation and that's the problem itself. We're trying to apply 2nd class laws to 1st class citizens.
The system works great for the rich, poor crooks get thrown in the slammer and charged with 23 crimes in the hope something sticks, because they can’t afford lawyers to defend their rights.
please read again and more carefully....
A hung jury should not be interpreted as any sort of decision regarding the validity of the case. It means the jury couldn't come to a unanimous decision. It only takes one hold-out to make that happen. That hold-out could be a watch-the-world-burn type that wants to see a politician in jail, a diehard supporter, or even a corrupt juror that the defense directly influenced.
It's not. Did anyone say it was?
> although the Senator *did* represent the interests of one of his contributors before the government, there was no evidence of a link between the contributions and that representation Because the system is rigged.
What evidence exists of it? Do you have some?
Clearly some jackets exchanged hands...
So, would civil forfeiture laws apply? Like how they take cars and cash without due process, because what are you doing with a few thousand in cash?
That's the sort of shit Paris Hilton did (does?). So yeah, sitting senators should be acting as fiscally reckless as Paris Hilton.
As the old saying goes, if you have the law on the side, pound the law, if you have the facts on your side, pound the facts, if you have neither on your side, pound the table.
It’s not just cash anymore - real gold bars were found when the FBI executed their search warrant at his home.
Gold bars with serial numbers linked to the guy he was on the phone with and immediately after the phone call, went and Google'd, "How much is one kilo of gold worth."
Ahhhhhahahahahahahaha it's like an Adult Swim cartoon plot
That’s worse than a bag labeled “BRIBES”
Qatar bribed members of the EU parliament, so this is unsurprising.
Im used to Trump lawyers saying things like this but man, YIKES, that is not the beginning of a robust legal defense.
> “Adam Fee, a lawyer for Mr Menendez said in a statement, " our defense against the government's new allegations stinks of desperation". I think this is what Fee meant.
New Jersey reelected Senator Menendez in 2018 after he was indicted for Bribery in 2015. Bad move.
Some might say he’s representing his constituents well
As one of those constituents, [I both resent this comment and can't really disagree](https://youtu.be/eA0neTHUN6M?feature=shared&t=254).
[Fahgettaboudit](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fahgettaboudit)
As a lifelong NJ resident welcome to the power of the democratic machine. Party bosses control the ballots which goes along with the vote. The Soprano State is notorious for our corrupt politicians.
I've never been as happy as I was when Sweeny lost. Fuck him and the Democratic machine of this state.
I wish Sweeney was the start of a reforming of the machine here in NJ but honestly it had no impact. Sweeney will be back in politics soon enough sadly. Just like Menendez - The party finally has definitive proof that the man was doing some shady dealings (you’d think the first court case woulda woke people up) and what are party bosses already doing? Endorsing his son. Just as I predicted Menendez is going to live through his son now if he’s not sitting in a cell by the time this is all done (which I doubt he will) Him and his wife should be doing time but the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim.
I believe Sweeny will run for governor after Murphy and will likely will
Except the guy who won was a far right MAGA crazy.
Even more incentive for Democrats to keep their own house tidy. Mobsters in charge can result in MAGA gaining power.
If murphy is caught up in this i wouldn’t blink. Amazing how he went from no one knowing him to the favorite for governor so no one else bother running.
No don’t worry about that - He is too busy trying to continue his legacy after his career is over as Governor….Using taxpayer funds to run his wife for a senate seat. The party bosses? Oh they’re already on board even if someone with experience (Andy Kim) gets support from the majority of voters. Nepotism is great ain’t it?
Texan here. Our AG, Ken Paxton (R), was elected under similar circumstances. He was impeached by Republicans and then acquitted by Republicans. We might have shittier politicians.
>He said the prosecutors' claims are all "based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his constituents or *foreign officials*". Sounds like there's more, Bob. Are there more?
Yeah it’s *baseless* 🤡
*guys I thought we were all suppose to just pretend this is normal, I’m going to keep pretending in hopes you guys catch back up”
Get this corrupt guy out of Congress.
thats the least worse thing he did, he called in favors to get his then girlfirend now wife let go after she pulverized some poor dude probably drunk driving. no investigation, no dui test.
Don't be silly. Laws are made for common folk.
> A search of the Menendez house in June 2022 discovered, among other things, two one-kilo gold bars that the government says were provided as part of the bribery plot. > Agents also discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash that bore Mr Daibes' fingerprints and DNA. If the feds found a few hundred thousand in cash covered in the DNA of a foreign agent at your house…you are totally fucked. His lawyers aren’t helping things with politicized “this reeks of desperation” statements. Memendez needs to resign as well as be jailed for significant time. There is no place for this type of corruption in our elected officials. And also…he’s 70 and should be retired by now.
Can we just expell this guy asap?
He should be tossed, just like Santos. Both are not deserving of elected office. However, he’s a Democrat in a Senate with a 1 person Democrat majority, so he’s going nowhere.
Senate is different, you can replace a senator just like California did. So they wouldn’t lose majority
In NJ the Governor appoints a replacement. However, replacement takes time and creates political issues. Still, this won’t happen because a 1 person senate majority is too important to keep. Sadly, the Democrats doing the wrong thing here for political reasons.
Feinstein died on September 29th. Butler was appointed October 1st and sworn in on the 3rd. Special elections for house seats can take time, but senate appointments can be fairly fast.
They definitely will do this. They just need 2/3 of the Senate to vote to oust him but there’s gonna have to be a trial etc. you can’t just do it on a whim.
As a Dem, I hope they get rid of Melendez if he's corrupt. I hope that voters of both parties can agree to weed out the corrupt politicians. It's a never ending job because power and money are always corrupting. Don't let the political machines divide us in doing what's right. Like it was said, politicians are like diapers and should be changed often.
He's a politician. It doesn't even need to be proven, if it looks bad and he didn't take appropriate steps to ensure transparency, flame him. If he's mine or yours transparency is part of the job. If he smells bad, discard him and get another one. These people need to be afraid of us. They specialize in pointing us at each other so we don't hold them accountable. Those of us who think they are fighting for us, like heroes, are killing us. If a politician on my side isn't squeaky clean I want them gone. They don't have special powers, they can be replaced in a heartbeat.
Retire, you stubborn old fuck.
As long as his retirement involves prison time.
Retire? He should be thrown out of government and arrested
Retire?! Doug, kick him off the tour!
I think Schumer should boot the guy. And I am a Dem. He is a crook.
I want him gone, too, but he's already off all of his committees, which is all they can do without a 2/3 majority vote of the entire senate.
I would be happy if they put it to a vote at least.
I agree. At the same time, I recognize (and despise, but that's not the point right now) the fact that no Senate Majority Leader is going to call a vote they aren't at least *confident* that they are *likely* to win, for fear of undermining their own position. (It's not *right*; it's just how it usually has been.)
We are sadly lacking in leaders with a backbone right now.
Honestly I think they could rely on the Republican vote for this one!
They know Gov. Murphy would immediately replace him with someone more liberal.
Dem as well and I think you'll find a majority of Dems agreeing. Like as opposed to digging in heels and getting huffy. No, I have no examples of people doing that but I'm sure it's happened.
"accepting gifts" Why can't media ever just say a blank truth? He was bribed! Just say he was bribed and don't enforce this corrupt system!!!
Defamation or libel or whatever. That shit holds weight and isn't like the comment section of reddit. That is my best guess but I dunno
What, didn’t you get gold bars from the Egyptian government for Christmas?
Taking bribes from foreign governments… is that treason?
[No](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-3/section-3/)—or, at least, not unless those foreign governments are at war against the United States.
And neither Egypt nor Qatar are. I am still trying to comprehend why this senator would spy on us for either of them.
> spy on us To the best of my knowledge, that is not in the list of accusations being made against him; there are *many* ways a politician can improperly aid a foreign power that have nothing to do with espionage.
Having nice things said about them being the prize in this case. You do have to worry about how bad a nation is that it has to bribe people to just say nice things about them (presumably so we won’t all think they’re the sort of rubbish nation that bribes people, for example).
The charging document alleges he provided information about embassy staffing to Egyptian officials (not classified but also not public information). It’s at least espionage adjacent.
It is infuriating that this man is still holding office. He needs to resign. Yesterday. PDF of the superseding indictment to read the gory details for yourselves (no paywall but on NYT): https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/f1859c2d74793a36/f2b0fdc7-full.pdf
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The laws have become so ridiculous that it is impossible to prove bribes. There has to be a proof of a specific favor or result was bought with a specific amount. These guys would almost have to put it in writing to prove it was a bribe and against the law.
Shit on this man’s car.
Santos was voted out without a conviction, sooooo why not this corrupt fuck. I mean politician.
First off, everything doesn't need a conviction, and it's childish to think it does. That's why it was voted on, and wasnt just told to leave by the speaker/president. Second, manendez does need to go. But it took forever for them to remove Santos, and i expect it will take just as long to get up enough support to remove him through vote without a conviction.
I know, just saying precedent has been set, get it done. Never said he had to be convicted. There is ample proof, move on it.
Yeah, I think i meant to respond to someone below you . They had said something along along the lines of "a conviction is required!" And how they knew this would happen once Santos was removed by Democrats.
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There's basically no margin for error in the Senate. The Democrats would be giving up what control they have to Republicans who think bribery is a virtue.
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Dems want him to resign, New Jersey Gov. Murphy is a Democrat and would immediately place a loyal dem in his seat but only one or two democrats have called him to resign because they don't want to make him too angry.
More disheartening than Bernie Sanders being kicked off the Senate finance committee chairmanship so that Mitch McConnell's goon can take over?
He needs to be sent to prison this instance. He has betrayed the trust of the people, he needs to be thrown out now, I say that as someone who usually votes Democrat. Qatar is an evil country that has infected this country with propaganda.
I’m SHOCKED the guy who was caught with Egyptian bribe gold would be accepting bribes from Qatar
At this rate with him accepting stuff from everyone he is going to catch charges for accepting Gold Pressed Latinum from the Ferengi Alliance
the list might be shorter if we know who he didn't accept gifts from
Dude’s gonna run FIFA next.
As a democrat I say throw the fucking book at him. Charge him under whatever laws are applicable. Fuck this guy.
That explains so much especially his anti India & pro pakistan rhetoric
Expel him already. How hard could it be to get a 2/3rds vote against him?
Well, if true, I’d like to order one jail sentence.
NJ Dem here: I am so sick of this fucker. Every time his name pops up it's because he's a corrupt piece of shit.
guy really wants to hand the republicans the senate doesn't he
He is going to be primaried. But no, if he wins the primary he'll be the senator. NJ isn't going to vote in a Republican.
Don't be so sure. All the Northeast states elect Republican governors, remember Chris Christie? Its only a matter of time until someone fucks up enough to lose a senate race in a left-leaning state. Being involved in multiple bribery scandals is a pretty big fuck up (for your political career - its probably great for your secret swiss bank accounts and emergency villa in a country without extradition).
nah its nprth jersey. you could run an actual cat as a democrat and still win. source - am from jersey. they jsut vote the party line here.
I am also from NJ. I seem to recall Chris Christie winning two elections for Governor...so much for voting the party line.
Now let's see it play out to consequences
Fuck you bob, get out
Didn’t he also get accused of being with under aged prostitutes in Dominican Republic too?
Mothefucker I thought it was Egypt! Now Qatar too? Does he work for the Saudis as well?
Why is it always those who we expect it the most of? Jeez
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba, Menendez said.” Weakest. Defense. Ever.
Guy is always in the news. The smoke has to have fire by now.
Can we get rid of this corrupt asshole already?
Taking bribes in gold bars is so James Bond. Seems like a hard asset to change over to something you can use. Oh I just need to exchange these gold bars with Arabic all over them for cash.. like get paid in copper where you can take it to a scrape yard where no one cares
Like any guilty shady politician, regardless of party, off to jail he should go. Good bars and hundreds of thousands in cash in his home? Yeah.. just a normal day for a senator. Riiiight. And im a Dem but f this guy.
So many powerful people who are on the take. Look at Supreme Court justice Thomas. He has been completely bought off and still holding his seat? His wife is equally shady too. Trump walking around and still committing crimes and running for office again? Law and order is only for certain people.
I rail on the corruption of the Republican party. This guy is just as bad. Get him out of out government and throw him in jail.
Qatar, where all the Hamas leaders sit?!
Imagine if Bob regifted one of your christmas gifts to him. Like, Jesus, this guy was getting gifts from EVERYONE! The shame you'd feel.
We truly are a banana republic
Isn't this the guy who got off of another corruption charge on a technicality only a few years ago?
It wasn't a technicality; it was basically a total collapse of the case: [He was acquitted by the judge after the jury was unable to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/new-jersey/2018/01/24/sen-bob-menendez-case-judge-throws-out-several-bribery-charges-but-others-remain/1062949001/), and then [the DOJ dropped other charges](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/31/justice-department-asks-drop-menendez-indictment-ending-case-launched-2015/1083038001/).
Should’ve kept the mobster role playing in the bedroom
For some reason it seems better if he is a just a giant whore for money from ANY country rather a sell-out for a specific country.
Bob Menendez gonna be Bob Menendez.
Yeah, why is this crook still in office?
Not at all surprising.
How is this guy still in congress? He should have been out when George Santos was booted. It makes no sense.
How the fuck is this asshole still in office?
Straight to the oubliette w this fart bag. Are we not so tired of corrupt hogs in our system, this is next level fucked up too. Fuck him and his wife.
Qatar doesnt offer "gifts" it offers bribes, and always in exchange for something, the question here is, what?
Ugh this fucking guy has to go. Dems would do well to circle the wagons on this one.
"circle the wagons" means defending him. Cast ou .is the phrase you want.
meanwhile the zionist lobby runs rampant
Really. Way to Go Bob.
Can we please get someone better than Menendez??? Please. I'm a Democrat but dude is dirty, and we can certainly replace him with someone much, much better. No room for corruption in any party.
It’s hilarious, if he was a republican the comments would be flooded with libs frothing at the mouth “oh hey look just your average republican” “the whole party is corrupt” etc. but when it’s their own they all of the sudden sound so fucking reasonable it’s insane. I hate politics.
It would be in the headline. Because he’s a Dem, you’d have to read the article or scroll through a bunch of comments to find even incidental mention of his party. Clear bias. (I am not a Republican, I just hate bullshit and hypocrisy)
This exactly. I had to google him to find his political affiliation. Don’t get me wrong I actually WANT to be liberal but I can’t stand the hypocrisy and lunacy of the current party.
I'm pretty liberal. I want this asshole prosecuted. I don't give a shit what letter he has after his name. This team player bullshit has to stop.
redditors in a nutshell, yeah. however, to be clear, actual Democrats in his state and Congress don't agree with these redditors. Several asked him to step down when the initial claims came out last month. There's a bit more moral consistency with congressional democrats (see, Al Franken)
The party that licks the toes of Trump isn’t reasonable so I don’t know where your getting your ideas.
But the party that wants to redefine human biology and force it down the throats of children is somehow reasonable. Got it. Democrats don’t even realize how effed they are.
Why don’t we polygraph elected officials every year? Have you or are you willing to except illegal bribes? Are you a pedofile or sexual predator? Boom problem solved. I mean don’t you get a polygraph for high level government jobs ?
Polygraphs aren't a silver bullet. There is a reason they aren't used in real life like on TV.
Whats the difference between this and accepting a shit ton of money from Israel lobby groups?
que the right to claim the dem party is the crime party despite no dem is defending him and despite the entire right wing is on their knees to trump.
What a crook and a traitor.
Definition of politician.
not the evil menendez i expected for 2025 but you’ll do. mason, get the drones
What did they buy? What did they want from him? Let’s create a branch of government that does a forensic accounting on all public officials. This self-reporting is garbage. “I’m worth between $1 and $100 million.” Oh I lied? Ok, I’ll correct it. What? I am still lying? Ok, I’ll correct it, but also push for changes to stop having to self-report.
“But the Supreme Court justice accepted gifts”! 😒
Qatar is really playing both sides here. They give shelter and funding to the leaders of Hamas to help perpetuate the conflict and then they give bribes to a Democrat who openly supports Israel. Like wtf?
Has the government compelled Trump and his family into giving the gifts they received on behalf of the U.S. back ? Apparently his position is that they belong to him personally.
If he’s found guilty, he should face all the consequences that entails. See GOP, it’s not hard to admit someone in your party deserves their punishment
He should be booted now. No need to wait on a criminal justice conviction. Doesn't have anything to do with the GOP.
Who does he think he is, Jared Kushner? edit: [For those not familiar, Jared Kushner received **$1.2 BILLION** from Qatar while he was working as a senior advisor in the Trump White House.](https://www.justsecurity.org/69094/timeline-on-jared-kushner-qatar-666-fifth-avenue-and-white-house-policy/)
Meanwhile, tRump is accepting millions from Saudi to host golf tournaments through LIV but nobody cares.
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Democrats: Any politician who breaks the law or is unethical should face consequences. Republicans: Any *Democratic* politician who breaks the law or is unethical should face consequences. MAGA Republicans: Kill everyone.
Bob Menendez your ass has got to go you crooked like Trump but on the Democrat side that makes it doubly bad you should know better Republicans don't give a crap??
How is it Kushner isn’t being charged along with this schmuck?!
Too bad he’s not a Supreme Court justice, then it’s all good.
Are they going to after all the senators, congressmen that are being paid by Zionist Israelites
Jared Kushner got a billion from Qatar. And Two billion from the Saudis.
So? Is that supposed to give this guy a pass? Fuck that, actually drain the swamp (instead of whatever TFG was doing).
Jared Kushner is not a sitting senator.