[ad_1]
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
[ad_2]
Tag: Bob Menendez
-
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez indicted on federal bribery charges
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez indicted on federal bribery charges – CBS News
-
9/22: CBS Evening News
[ad_1]
9/22: CBS Evening News – CBS News
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
[ad_2]
-
Sen. Menendez gives up committee chairmanship amid indictment
[ad_1]
Sen. Menendez gives up committee chairmanship amid indictment – CBS News
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
[ad_2]
-
Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on fraud, extortion
[ad_1]
Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on fraud, extortion – CBS News
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
[ad_2]
-
5 Crazy Details From The Bob Menendez Indictment
[ad_1]
Federal prosecutors on Friday announced corruption charges against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife, alleging they took bribes in exchange for favors the senator doled out using the power of his office.
The 39-page indictment lays out various alleged schemes Menendez, wife Nadine Menendez and three New Jersey businessmen that led investigators to discover stacks of cash and gold bars inside the senator’s home.
In a defiant statement, Menendez suggested there’s some sort of conspiracy against him, saying “those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings could rise to be a U.S. Senator and serve with honor and distinction.”
Menendez could now face years in prison, not to mention the possible end of his political career. Here are five of the most shocking details from the indictment.
Wads of Cash
During a June 2022 search of the Menendez home, authorities said they found nearly half a million dollars in cash, “much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe.”
Among the articles of clothing allegedly used to hide the money? A navy blue jacket emblazoned with the senator’s name and a black jacket stitched with SENATOR MENENDEZ. The indictment includes photos of the garments with the cash removed from envelopes and placed on top.
Cash on clothing that allegedly belonged to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
Gold
In addition to all the dollars, investigators said they discovered furniture, a Mercedes convertible parked in the garage, and more than $100,000 worth of gold bars that allegedly were given to Menendez and his wife by their business partners. One of those partners was an Egyptian-American who allegedly funneled sensitive information from Menendez to the Egyptian government.
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York Gold bars allegedly given to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) as bribes.
A Ghostwritten Letter
Prosecutors say that in 2018, Menendez’s now-wife Nadine, at the time his girlfriend, told the senator that Egyptian officials needed help drafting a letter asking other senators to support U.S. aid to Egypt. In response, according to the indictment, the senator “secretly edited and ghost-wrote the requested letter on behalf of Egypt seeking to convince other U.S. Senators to release a hold on $300 million in aid to Egypt.” Bob and Nadine Menendez got married in 2020.
A Golden Google Search
Bob Menendez allegedly intervened in a federal criminal investigation of Fred Daibes, a New Jersey developer reported to have ties to organized crime, including by recommending President Joe Biden appoint a more sympathetic prosecutor. In exchange, Daibes provided cash and gold, according to the indictment.
The day after getting a ride home from the airport from a driver who worked for Daibes in October 2021, Menendez allegedly conducted “a web search for ‘how much is one kilo of gold worth’” and later searched “kilo of gold price.” The senator apparently did not clear his browser history; his wife wound up selling the gold bars to a jeweler, authorities said.
Daibes pleaded guilty to participating in an insider loan scam last year.
Menendez Had Just Dodged Unrelated Corruption Allegations
One of the most remarkable things about the indictment is that it describes allegedly criminal behavior by Menendez starting in March 2018, less than half a year after a previous unrelated federal corruption case against Menendez had ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury.
If convicted, Menendez faces years in prison for conspiracies to commit bribery, extortion and honest services fraud.
[ad_2]
-
Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey is indicted in Manhattan on bribery charges
[ad_1]
Sen. Robert Menendez has been indicted on bribery charges, the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan said Friday, the latest legal challenge for the New Jersey Democrat.
Menendez, 69, who was previously charged with corruption in a separate case that ended in a mistrial, was accused Friday of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in return for helping three New Jersey businessmen.
The office of Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, also charged the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez.
A 39-page indictment said the 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.”
Menendez’s office and his lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Williams was scheduled to speak about the charges at a news conference later Friday morning.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
[ad_2]
Tim Balk, Molly Crane-Newman
Source link -
Bob Menendez remains defiant amid bribery charges and calls to resign | CNN Politics
[ad_1]
CNN
—
Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey remained defiant on Monday after being indicted on bribery charges at the end of last week, saying he believes he will be exonerated as he responded to some of the specific charges and evidence outlined by prosecutors.
Menendez’s comments come amid a flurry of calls for his resignation – including from his own party and from his Senate colleagues. On Monday, Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Peter Welch of Vermont became the latest Democrats in the chamber call on Menendez to step down, joining Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.
In a statement delivered to reporters, Menendez offered some of his first public defense against some of the evidence discovered by investigators during their search of his home, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, which he argued he had on hand for emergencies and described as an “old-fashioned” habit derived from his family’s experience in Cuba.
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars 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,” said Menendez. “Now this may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years.”
According to the indictment, searches of Menendez’s home and safe deposit box that federal agents conducted in 2022 turned up nearly $500,000 in cash, including in envelopes inside jackets emblazoned with Menendez’s name. Prosecutors say some of the envelopes had the fingerprints or DNA of one of the business contacts from whom the senator is accused of taking bribes.
Menendez has been charged with three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy. The conspiracy counts also charge his wife and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen.
The group is accused of coordinating to use Menendez’s power as a US senator to benefit them personally and to benefit Egypt.
On Monday, Menendez defended his record as it relates to Egypt, saying, “If you look at my actions related to Egypt during the period described in this indictment, and throughout my whole career, my record is clear and consistent in holding Egypt accountable for its unjust detention of American citizens and others, its human rights abuses, its deepening relationship with Russia, and efforts that have eroded the independence of the nation’s judiciary, among a myriad of concerns.”
Menendez has been called upon to resign by a growing list of prominent Democrats – including the New Jersey governor and six members of the state’s congressional delegation. Rep. Andy Kim announced Saturday plans to challenge Menendez in the Democratic primary next year should Menendez run again for his US Senate seat.
And on Monday, Brown and Welch joined Fetterman to become the second and third Senate Democrats to call for Menendez to step down.
“Senator Menendez has broken the public trust and should resign from the U.S. Senate,” said Brown, who is running for reelection next year.
Welch said in a statement later in the day that “the shocking and specific allegations against Senator Menendez have wholly compromised his capacity to be that effective Senator,” adding: “I encourage Senator Menendez to resign.”
Fetterman, who first called for Menendez’s resignation over the weekend, will return $5,000 in donations his campaign received from Menendez’s political action committee, according to the Pennsylvania Democrat’s office.
The New Jersey senator has denied wrongdoing and pushed back on calls to resign.
On Monday, Menendez accused those who “rushed to judgment” of doing so for “political expediency.”
“I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet,” Menendez said, referencing the legal battle ahead. “But as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
[ad_2]
-
Does the US prosecute more Republicans or Democrats? Here’s some data | CNN Politics
[ad_1]
A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
CNN
—
Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted Friday for the second time in 10 years on bribery and corruption charges.
In this new case, federal authorities allege he and his wife accepted a luxury Mercedes, envelopes full of cash and multiple bars of gold in exchange for influence and favors. It’s wild. Read CNN’s report.
Menendez denies the allegations, and he has a track record of beating bribery charges. The last time the government took him to court, a jury deadlocked, a judge acquitted him of some charges and the government finally dropped that separate set of bribery charges. Menendez was able to win reelection.
He’s up for reelection again next year, and Democrats badly need to keep his New Jersey seat if they have any hope of maintaining control of the Senate.
The case, if nothing else, is a serious complication to former President Donald Trump’s often-repeated claim that he is the subject of a partisan “witch hunt.”
An unusually feisty Attorney General Merrick Garland rejected any such claim during testimony on Capitol Hill this week.
Watch Garland’s response to GOP accusations
“Our job is not to do what is politically convenient,” he said. “Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress or from anyone else about who or what to criminally investigate.”
The prosecution, again, of Menendez, which is a major headache for Democrats, could help prove this point. So should the prosecution of Hunter Biden, the president’s son, in a gun case that is rarely brought as a standalone charge.
But it is worth looking at the recent history of Department of Justice prosecutions of lawmakers. Is one party targeted more than another?
Here’s a look at active and recent federal cases against federal lawmakers and governors. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but it is what I could find going back to 2000 in CNN’s coverage and from other news outlets.
There is one against a Republican, Rep. George Santos of New York, and one against a Democrat, Menendez.
There is also a non-prosecution to mention. Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican, was informed this year by the DOJ that he would not be charged in a long-running sex trafficking probe.
These are federal cases against current or former federal lawmakers. I was able to find nine targeting Republicans and eight targeting Democrats.
Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican from Nebraska – Found guilty in 2022 of three felonies in a case that centered on campaign contributions.
Former Rep. TJ Cox, a Democrat from California – Still awaiting trial after his 2022 indictment, including for fraudulent campaign contributions.
Former Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California – Sentenced to 11 months in prison for misusing campaign funds, but later pardoned by Trump.
Former Rep. Chris Collins, a Republican from New York – Sentenced to 26 months in prison for insider trading, but later pardoned by Trump.
Former Rep. Corrine Brown, a Democrat from Florida – Served more than two years for setting up a false charity.
Former Rep. Steve Stockman, a Republican from Texas – Sentenced to 10 years in prison for multiple felonies including fraud and money laundering, but pardoned by Trump after serving part of his sentence.
Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat from New York – Sentenced to 21 months in prison for sexting with a minor.
Former Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Democrat from Pennsylvania – Sentenced to 10 years in prison for racketeering, fraud and money laundering.
Former Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican from New York – Pleaded guilty and sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion. Attempted to run again for Congress.
Former Rep. Rick Renzi, a Republican from Arizona – Sentenced to three years for corruption. Pardoned by Trump after he served time.
Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey – Acquitted by a judge and other charges dismissed after a jury deadlocked in a bribery case.
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a Democrat from Illinois – Sentenced to 30 months in prison for misusing campaign funds.Former Sen. Ted Stevens, a Republican from Alaska – Conviction by jury for lying on ethics forms was later set aside over allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.
Former Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat from Louisiana – Sentenced to 13 years for corruption and soliciting bribes. There was video of him taking $100,000 from an African official. Served multiple years in prison, but many of the charges were later vacated by a judge based on a US Supreme Court decision.
Former Rep. Bob Ney, a Republican from Ohio – Sentenced to 30 months after a guilty plea for corruption tied to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a Republican from California – Sentenced to eight years in prison after a guilty plea for bribery. Later pardoned by Trump.
Former Rep. James Traficant, a Democrat from Ohio – Sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption after defending himself during trial. Was later expelled from the House.
Two Republican governors and two Democratic governors have been convicted in federal courts in recent decades:
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, was convicted for bribery and corruption. But the US Supreme Court changed the rules in corruption and bribery cases when it threw out the case against McDonnell.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, was convicted for trying to sell his power to appoint a replacement to Barack Obama’s Senate seat. His sentence was later commuted by Trump.
Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, a Democrat, was convicted by a jury of bribery and corruption and was sentenced to more than six years in prison.
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, was convicted on corruption charges after an FBI sting.
Did we miss a federal lawmaker convicted or charged? Let me know at zachary.wolf@cnn.com.
Local prosecutions – like the state or local cases against former Rep. Trey Radel, the Republican from Florida, for cocaine possession in Washington, DC, or former Sen. Larry Craig, the Republican from Idaho, for lewd behavior in the Minneapolis airport – don’t really fit here since they were not conducted by the Department of Justice.
Some notable recent DOJ prosecutions have focused on Democrats at the state level, like Andrew Gillum, the Democrat and former Tallahassee, Florida, mayor who ran for governor and lost to Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2018. Gillum was recently acquitted of lying to the FBI.
Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, also a Democrat, was sentenced to three years in prison after she pleaded guilty to charges related to a scheme in which local nonprofit organizations bought her self-published children’s book.
Trump likes to argue he’s the subject of a conspiratorial “witch hunt” engineered by a deep state.
Why, he will often say, was Hillary Clinton not prosecuted for her email server while he is being prosecuted for mishandling classified material?
This forgets the history of the 2016 election, which Clinton has said she lost because of then-FBI Director James Comey’s handling of the investigation of her emails. Comey did not charge her before the election but did criticize her, and then, 11 days before Election Day, he said the investigation had been reopened.
These whataboutisms can go on and on without changing anyone’s mind.
This story has been updated to include additional details.[ad_2]
-
Biden admin preparing to ask Congress to approve sale of F-16 jets to Turkey | CNN Politics
[ad_1]
Washington
CNN
—
The Biden administration is preparing to ask Congress to approve the sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, after weighing a Turkish request for the planes for more than a year, congressional sources familiar with the deliberations told CNN.
If approved, the sale would be among the largest arms sales in years. The administration is also discussing a separate sale of 40 F-35 warplanes to Greece. There are longstanding tensions between Turkey and Greece.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 in response to Ankara’s decision to purchase the Russian-made S-400 missile system.
The sale to Turkey could put pressure on Ankara to approve the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, a process that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been blocking since last year.
Finland and Sweden were officially invited to join the alliance at the NATO summit in June last year, but as a NATO member Turkey could block them from joining.
A Finnish official told CNN that Finland has “not been part of any discussions” when it comes to the American F-16s.
“Finland has implemented everything that was agreed in Madrid in June. Now we hope all NATO members help us get our accession process over the finishing line. What comes to American F-16s, we obviously have not been part of any discussions. It is an internal US matter,” the Finnish official said.
It is not clear when the administration plans to make a formal request to Congress, as required by law for foreign military sales. But on Thursday night, the administration sent informal notifications about the prospective sale to the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, kicking off the committee review process, the sources said.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.
Most administrations typically give Congress informal notification of proposed sales weeks before taking formal action. The informal notification process is a common practice in which the relevant committees get a heads up on planned sales, allowing committee leadership to raise concerns, give their input, or place holds.
Once the administration formally notifies the full Congress of the intended sale, lawmakers then have 30 days to block the deal, which they can do by passing a joint resolution of disapproval.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez said on Friday that he would not approve any proposed sale of F-16 aircraft to Turkey, continuing his longstanding opposition to providing the weaponry to Ankara.
“As I have repeatedly made clear, I strongly oppose the Biden administration’s proposed sale of new F-16 aircraft to Turkey,” the New Jersey Democrat said. “President Erdogan continues to undermine international law, disregard human rights and democratic norms, and engage in alarming and destabilizing behavior in Turkey and against neighboring NATO allies.”
Menendez has been highly critical of Turkey’s targeting of the Kurds and threatened incursions into northern Syria. He has slammed Ankara’s closeness with Moscow and warned the Turks against purchasing any more S-400 missile systems from Russia. Additionally, Menendez has accused Turkey of repeatedly violating Greek airspace with provocative overflights in the Aegean Sea, calling it “unacceptable behavior from a NATO country” in remarks in Athens last year.
“Until Erdogan ceases his threats, improves his human rights record at home – including by releasing journalists and political opposition – and begins to act like a trusted ally should, I will not approve this sale,” Menendez said.
At the same time, the New Jersey Democrat said he welcomed “the news of the sale of new F-35 fighter aircraft to Greece.”
“This defense capability is not only critical for a trusted NATO ally and enduring partner’s efforts to advance security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, but also strengthens our two nations’ abilities to defend shared principles including our collective defense, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” he said Friday.
A National Security Council spokesperson referred CNN to the State Department for comment.
“As a matter of policy, the Department is not going to comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until they’ve been formally notified to Congress,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a briefing Friday.
“But what I would say is that Turkey and Greece both are vital, vital, NATO Allies,” he added, noting that the US has “a history of supporting their security apparatuses.”
[ad_2]
-
N.J. Sen. Bob Memendez subject of federal criminal probe: CBS News Flash Oct. 27, 2022
[ad_1]
N.J. Sen. Bob Memendez subject of federal criminal probe: CBS News Flash Oct. 27, 2022 – CBS News
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
[ad_2]
-
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez under federal criminal investigation
[ad_1]
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
Washington — New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez is under federal criminal investigation in New York, sources and a political adviser to the senator confirmed to CBS News.
Michael Soliman, a longtime political adviser to the New Jersey Democrat, told CBS News, “Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported today. However, he does not know the scope of the investigation. As always, should any official inquiries be made, the senator is available to provide any assistance that is requested of him or his office.”
The news site Semafor first reported the investigation into Menendez.
Federal prosecutors first investigated Menendez in 2015 when he was indicted — but never convicted — in an alleged bribery scheme in which prosecutors said an eye doctor provided flights on a private jet and other perks in exchange for his help securing contracts. The subsequent 2017 trial on the charges in New Jersey ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict.
It is unclear if this latest investigation involves similar allegations.
Menendez is also a senior member of the Senate Banking and Finance committees and, according to his Senate website, he is the first Latino to chair the Foreign Relations Committee. He was first elected to Congress in 1993 to represent New Jersey’s 13th Congressional District and ran for the Senate over a decade later.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
[ad_2]
