In his presser today he blamed that on his Cuban heritage. Claimed he'd been squirreling away cash for 30 years to avoid having it confiscated by the government.
I haven't followed this to be fair, but seems like a bad message to send if they're going to let corruption slide because they're afraid of him.
I hear you. There is also hangover from the Al Franken situation. It is almost universally believed among the caucus that he was treated unfairly in being forced to resign without due process. I do not happen to agree. I was a BIG Franken fan and it was plainly a right wing hit job, with an operative leaking info and it timed for release. But the picture of him posing in a groping manner with a sleeping woman was not doctored, and was disqualifying in itself to me. Thus, it was not relevant to decide who was telling the truth about their whispered statements, stage, kisses, etc. That is what due process would have reached, whereas to me the picture was sufficiently damning. In any event, it has become an article of faith that Dems were wrong to force him out without even letting him defend himself. So that is also at work.
Power and privilege are seductive mistresses. I honestly believe that is why Biden/Pelosi/McConnell et al are running again is because their posse is enjoying the ride for as long as they can prop Bernie up. He/she is their bellcow to power and privelege. They retire, lots of people looking for jobs.
I almost brought up Franken as well and good to know I wasn't the only one who saw a connection there.
Ken White with a funny. Menendez says that he keeps cash and gold bars because he's Cuban. Andrew Cuomo says he should be excused for groping women because he's Italian. WTH?
Didn't like the senator getting a pass then, or now. Corrupt Govt officials are hard to come to terms with, especially US Senators. I may rewatch that Mark Wahlberg sniper movie again. I enjoyed the fate of that senator.
Reads like Booker did a solid job of walking the fence. Praises his friend but tells him to resign. I'm sure it wasn't easy and some here thought he wouldn't do it. Works for me. Adios senator M.
If the corruption itself isn't enough it turns out that the Mercedes that Nadine Menendez was given was used to replace a car that was damaged as the result of an accident in which she hit and killed a pedestrian. Nadine Menendez hit and killed pedestrian in 2018 car crash referenced in federal indictment
it will be interesting to see if the prosecutors office actually did subpoena her phone records and what they showed. being that it is standard procedure to do that, if they didn't, or if the records indicate that she was on her phone at the time of the impact, someone is going to have some explaining to do
One update. Some expert commentary stated that prosecutors think they have a different case from McDonnell in that they have more "official acts" from Menendez, part of what the USSC hung their hat on in that opinion in saying there was no direct proof of corruption. In that case, McDonnell only introduced favored vendors to state agencies that they could contract with and had his Chief of Staff follow-up to make sure they met with them. But prosecutors did not have proof of and explicit ask or direction from the Governor to the Agency to do business with them. That was a big part of what the Court relied on in reversing the conviction. In this case, either Menendez or his staff apparently directly suggested the Egyptian vendor should get the official status, which was valuable. But I see a possible legal distinction the Supreme Court could rely upon if they want to continue to give elected officials effective immunity from corruption related prosecutions. Forget for a moment that McDonnell may not made a specific ask. He was the Governor of Virginia; he had direct authority over agencies. Mind you, any agency procurement officer with common sense would understand the significance of the Governor or the Gov.'s Chief of Staff making sure they met the vendor. No explicit ask need be articulated. Everyone would understand the message. But the point is, the Governor actually had direct line authority on that contract. Agencies act in the Governor's name. Menendez does not have direct authority as a legislator. I'm not being naïve. I understand that agency personnel jump when a powerful senator's office contacts them, and would take very seriously a recommendation that they grant favors to a specific vendor. It's BS corruption in both instances. But given the inclination of the Supreme Court trying to carve out legalistic rules of law to create effective immunity, it seems to me that they can argue that Menendez could not have been engaged in true corruption because he did not have direct authority. Again, I think it's total BS. I'm just thinking like a lawyer because that is how my brain has been trained for decades. I can easily see that argument succeed with this audience, which seems to be inclined to find legalistic distinctions that make no sense in practice.
From the NYT. Certainly points to his then-future wife getting special treatment. And then a Mercedes. Inside the Menendez Indictment: A Mercedes and a Secretive Fatal Crash
Not sure if he was wearing a coat and tie when the statement was released, but strong, regardless of attire
TBH, while most of what McDonnell and his wife's lawyers argued in trying to excuse accepting gifts and cash was nonsense, the quo in the quid pro quo was more @ an appearance of one than actual. McDonnell didn't seem to try to do much of anything other play footsie to appease Williams by having him at several events at the guv mansion and to tell an agency head or two to take a phone call. Not saying SCOTUS was right, just that his "lack of effort" and VA's weak laws on gifts are what helped overturn his conviction.
That is how the characterized it factually, but I think it ignored the power of “introductions” and follow up from those in power
It’s looking more and more like Menendez was/is an agent of Egypt. He should be shamed right out of the Senate. Menendez accused of acting as foreign agent for Egypt while helming Senate Foreign Relations Committee. NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors accused Sen. Bob Menendez on Thursday of secretly acting as an agent of the government of Egypt while serving as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, adding to the slate of criminal charges for which the New Jersey Democrat was indicted last month.
