Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is the corruption gift that keeps on giving. Or maybe receiving is the better word.
In his career, Menendez has been embroiled in any number of scandals. He tried to get the Federal Reserve to bail out a bank where half of the bank's directors, including its chair and vice chair, were donors to his PAC; he blocked an Obama federal judge nominee who had been on a corruption unit that investigated his 2006 Senate campaign; he had an intern working for him who was in the U.S. illegally and was a registered sex offender (DHS conveniently did not arrest the man until after Menendez's 2012 election); and oh, by the way, he was actually indicted on federal corruption charges in 2015. A mistrial helped him out there, but don't worry: he got a 'severe admonishment' from the Senate Ethics Committee.
His latest imbroglio, however, may be the real treasure trove of the bunch. From NBC News:
Federal prosecutors are looking into whether an admitted felon helped arrange to give gold bars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez or his wife in exchange for help. https://t.co/flP0z0Pebs
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 21, 2023
Gold bars. Actual gold bars worth $400,000. That's pretty brazen, even for a politician as experienced with corruption as Menendez.
Investigators want to know if Menendez offered to contact the Justice Department to try to help that man who was accused of banking crimes. Those questions are now before a federal grand jury in Manhattan that is considering whether to hand up corruption charges against the senior senator from New Jersey.
'That man' is Fred Diabes, a former bank chairman who was facing federal bank fraud charges that included up to 10 years in prison. Menendez is not disputing the fact that he received the gold bars, only that there was a connection between that gift and his contact with the Justice Department about the case. Wink, wink.
According to NBC News, 'If the senator did offer to act in exchange for expensive gifts, legal experts say that could be a crime.'
Could be a crime? Thanks, 'legal experts.' If you're wondering why the term 'expert' is basically a joke these days, this is why.
Live look at Bob Menendez with his gold bars https://t.co/xySlykDCGj pic.twitter.com/PY95luR4v9
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 21, 2023
Recommended
Ha! But now that the Senate no longer has a dress code, it could happen.
Bob Menendez is one of the most corrupt people in the Senate—and that bar is extremely high!
— Heath Mayo (@HeathMayo) September 21, 2023
This dude comes under federal investigation for a new corrupt kickback scheme like every six months. Come on, New Jersey. How do you keep sending this guy to Washington? https://t.co/PMyRcPSDbG
Because he keeps getting away with it.
Oh, but wait. The story gets better. The U.S. Attorney who had initially been prosecuting Diabes is Philip Sellinger. Guess who is a close friend of Sellinger's and helped support his appointment as a U.S. Attorney? We won't say, but his name rhymes with 'Mob Wenendez.' In addition, Sellinger, who has since been recused from the Diabes case, was also a former campaign fundraiser for Menendez.
There’s corruption, and then there’s $400K-of-gold-bullion corruption. https://t.co/aW4Uh0hEBc
— Peter Meijer (@RepMeijer) September 21, 2023
I love that it's gold bars. Not bank transfers, not bearer bonds or stock options or even cash (which has serial numbers), but ACTUAL BARS OF GOLD. I hope he buried them in a treasure chest underneath a giant "X" in the Pine Barrens or something. https://t.co/z82GJVOGSx
— Jeff Blehar is *BOX OFFICE POISON* (@EsotericCD) September 21, 2023
Oh, but wait again. The story gets better still. In addition to the gold bars, Menendez and his wife are also being investigated for receiving other possible bribes.
Officials are also looking into whether Menendez or his now wife improperly took gifts, including use of a Mercedes and a luxury D.C. apartment from the owners of a New Jersey business. That business, IS EG Halal, won an exclusive contract with the Egyptian government to perform all Halal meat inspection for the county, even though the firm had no prior experience.
Giving lucrative deals to people with no experience in exchange for money or gifts? Now, where have we heard that one before?
Menendez forgot to give 10% to the big guy. https://t.co/fOq1AI33HU
— Will Harter (@willisfx88) September 21, 2023
Absolute cartoonish corruption. He should wear a top hat and a monocle while he's at it. https://t.co/tXCPWq3JLR
— Secular Talk🎙 (@KyleKulinski) September 21, 2023
I like this headline because it implies there’s a proper way for a senator to take gold bars from a corrupt bank exec https://t.co/FpAgjJ9USa pic.twitter.com/5dD4RFFRqO
— Benjamin McKean (@BLMcKean) September 21, 2023
LOL. Hey, this is Washington, after all.
you dont see a lot of gold bar bribes these days. old school https://t.co/B2jhvJHWAJ
— Danny Gold (@DGisSERIOUS) September 20, 2023
— Sean Masterson (@SeanMastersons) September 21, 2023
What's in your safe? pic.twitter.com/rA9XLIoPoe
— Kelly Nash🎙️ (@KellyNashRadio) September 21, 2023
Look, maybe Menendez just doesn't have a lot of faith in the dollar, you know? With the way Bidenomics is going, you can hardly blame him for that.
* * *
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Twitchy's conservative reporting taking on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth. Join Twitchy VIP and use the promo code SAVEAMERICA to get 40% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member