Sen. Pumpkinhead Menendez Employed Registered Sex Offender & Illegal Immigrant

[The Bobster]

http://www.nnnforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250175&highlight=Menendez

NJ Primary: Menendez, Hugin To Fight For Senate Seat
June 5, 2018 at 11:05 pm

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) —Democratic voters, undeterred by a federal corruption case U.S. Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead"Menendez had faced until it was dropped earlier this year, picked the two-term incumbent on Tuesday to represent their party in the fall campaign against a Republican former pharmaceutical executive.

Primary victories by Menendez and former Celgene Corp. chief executive Bob Hugin set the stage for New Jersey’s only statewide race in November as President Donald Trump and national Republicans defend a narrowly divided Senate.

Menendez and Hugin spent the primary campaign season offering a preview of the general election, hurling insults at one another while raking in millions of dollars in campaign contributions. Hugin appeared alongside Trump at the White House last year but has distanced himself from him since.

Menendez is running for his third six-year term after facing little primary competition in his previous two elections. On Tuesday, he defeated Rahway publisher Lisa McCormick, who mounted a campaign for governor last year before backing another candidate.

Hugin, who headed Celgene until this year, is largely self-financing his campaign and had broad GOP support against Brian Goldberg, an information technology professional and construction company executive.

Democratic voters picked Menendez just weeks after the Senate Ethics Committee rebuked him for accepting valuable gifts and failing to report them while using his position to advance the donor’s personal business interests. That and last year’s criminal corruption trial against Menendez, which ended in a mistrial before prosecutors dropped the charges, have fueled Hugin’s attacks.

Menendez was indicted on charges that he accepted lavish gifts, including luxury trips to Paris, from longtime friend Dr. Salomon Melgen in return for help settling a Medicaid billing dispute. He maintained his innocence throughout the prosecution, but the Senate committee admonished him over the gifts last month.

Hugin, a former Marine and Princeton University graduate, has promised to serve as an independent voice for Democrat-leaning New Jersey, where Trump is unpopular.

But Hugin had been close enough to the president to attend a discussion on drug prices at the White House in early 2017. He later called the meeting “incredibly encouraging” and described the president’s agenda as “pro-growth.”

Menendez has promoted himself as a check on Trump, who lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton in New Jersey in the presidential election. Democrats have nearly 900,000 more registered voters than Republicans in the state.

Menendez has about $5.6 million on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission. Hugin has $4.5 million and loaned his campaign about $7.5 million.

The race is sure to garner attention from outside the state because control of the U.S. Senate is up for grabs. Republicans hold 51 seats, and Democrats control 49, including two independents.

Voters on Tuesday also were choosing the state’s 12-member congressional delegation, including selecting party nominees to replace two Republican incumbents retiring from the U.S. House.

In New Jersey’s 2nd District, which covers all or parts of eight counties and includes Atlantic City, Democrats and Republicans were vying to succeed retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo.

Democratic New Jersey state Sen. Jeff Van Drew has won his party’s primary in the 2nd House District.

He defeated three opponents in the district on Tuesday.

Van Drew also is a dentist and a volunteer firefighter. He has represented the 1st Legislative District in the Senate for a decade and before that in the Assembly for six years.

LoBiondo has represented the district since winning election in 1994. He announced his plans to retire last year.

An Atlantic City, New Jersey, attorney is the Republican nominee in the state’s 2nd House District.

Seth Grossman emerged victorious Tuesday in the four-way primary. He defeated Sam Fiocchi, Hirsh Singh and Robert Turkavage.

 

[The Bobster]

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/new...mp-Attack-LeBron-James-Racist--490229901.html

Sen. Bob Menendez Calls Trump's Attack on LeBron James Racist
Published at 7:53 AM EDT on Aug 7, 2018

New Jersey Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez says President Donald Trump's attack on NBA star LeBoon James is part of a larger pattern of racist behavior.

NJ.com reports Menendez wrote in a tweet Monday that Trump wouldn't have questioned James' intelligence or charity work if he were white. Trump criticized James Friday after an interview aired with CNN nigger faggot anchor Don "Citrus Fruit" Lemon in which he deemed Trump divisive.

Menendez tweeted out a thread that included references to Trump's disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants during his campaign kickoff speech for the Republican presidential nomination and Trump's repeated claim that California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, who is black, is "low IQ."

Menendez, who is running for re-election , has been a vocal opponent of the Trump administration's immigration policies.

The White House had no immediate comment.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2018/08/22/menendezs-lead-over-gop-challenger-shrinks-in-latest-poll/

Menendez’s lead over GOP challenger shrinks in latest poll
By Carl Campanile
August 22, 2018 | 3:12pm | Updated

New Jersey Sen. Robert "Pumpkinhead" Menendez beat corruption charges last year but he’s now locked in a tight race for re-election, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Menendez, a two-term Democrat, leads his GOP challenger, pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin, by a slim 43 to 37 percent, the Quinnipiac University poll reported.

In March, Menendez was ahead by a comfortable 49 to 32 percent.

Any incumbent who can’t reach 50 percent is considered vulnerable.

Menendez was indicted on federal bribery charges, but the case ended in a hung jury last fall. He was accused of accepting bribes from Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist, in return for political favors.

Menendez maintained his innocence — but the stench of sleaze remains.

“As Sen. Robert Menendez sees his once-dominant lead whittled down to single digits, New Jersey voters are sending a clear message. They are troubled by the ethics cloud hanging over him,” said Quinnipiac polling analyst Mary Snow.

The Garden State has long trended blue in federal races for Senate and the presidency.

Cory Booker, the former mayor of Newark, is the other Jersey senator.

 

[The Bobster]

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/new...es-Another-New-Jersey-Pollster-494935441.html

Menendez Calls Out Poll on Senate Race — So Does Another New Jersey Pollster
New Jersey's best-known pollster, in an unusual move, called into question a poll done by another polling institute, ratcheting up the intrigue in what has become a surprisingly captivating race for U.S. Senate.
By Brian X. McCrone
Published 3 hours ago

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez, seeking a third term, disputed the results of a poll released Monday that shows a close race with the Republican challenger, former pharmaceutical CEO Bob Hugin.

It's not unusual for a candidate to call out a poll that doesn't show his campaign in as favorable a light as he would like.

What is unusual is that another pollster called into question the survey done by the Polling Institute at Stockton University's William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.

Amounting to a duel between New Jersey universities, Patrick Murray of the Monmouth University Polling Institute said Stockton's survey has "serious problems" in its reliability.

Murray, arguably the Garden State's best-known independent pollster, went on to call out the poll as having potentially damaging effects on trust in voter surveys.

"Pollsters can have honest differences about methodological choices," he said in a long statement posted to his Twitter account on Monday afternoon. "... but there are times when clear methodological problems raise concerns about the enterprise."

A Stockton spokeswoman said Murray's public dispute shocked polling institute officials, but the institute stood by the survey in a statement.

"I respect the work done by Mr. Murray at Monmouth, but we stand by our poll results," executive director Michael Klein said. "We recognize the demographics in the poll are not entirely reflective of the population, and weight our results accordingly."

Stockton's survey of 531 likely voters found Menendez with a 45 to 43 percent lead over Hugin, five weeks out from the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Libertarian Murray Sabrin came in at 3 percent with an additional 8 percent of voters undecided.

“With a two-point lead falling within the poll’s margin of error, the Senate race at this point is up for grabs,” Klein said in releasing the poll.

“Bob Hugin has been attacking Senator Menendez on ethics with a heavy advertising campaign. However, with so many voters still unfamiliar with the Republican, Menendez will likely try to define his challenger in negative terms,” Klein added.

Hugin has spent millions of his personal wealth on television and radio advertisements, controlling the message in the Senate race over the summer months. Some observers estimate he could spend up to $40 million before Nov. 6.

The Menendez camp said the senator's advertising campaign began in late August and his presence on television will continue to increase in the final month of the race.

Hugin's campaign hailed the Stockton poll as evidence that voters had begun paying attention to the Republican's message and that the incumbent's appeal in the liberal Garden State is waning.

But the Menendez campaign pointed to previous elections in which Democratic candidates significantly outperformed what Stockton polls found.

"The Stockton Poll historically underestimates Democratic performance; this is no different. At the same time in the race in 2016 and 2014, they undercut Hillary Clinton’s statewide performance by nine points and Cory Booker’s by seven, respectively, as each won by double-digit margins," the campaign said. "In 2012, Stockton had Senator Menendez with 52 percent, only to wind up with 59 percent en route to a 20-point victory."

Wolf, Casey Still Hold Large Leads Over GOP Challengers

Murray, in his Twitter statement, took exception with Stockton's methodology in several ways, including what he described as under-representation of voters aged 18-29 and blacks and Latinos.

He also questioned how Stockton weighs the advantage Democrats have over Republicans in New Jersey, based on the roughly 900,000-voter advantage that the Democratic Party has in the state.

Last year, Menendez’s federal bribery trial ended in a mistrial when the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked on all charges against the New Jersey politician and a wealthy donor.

The Democrat was accused of using his political influence to help Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen in exchange for luxury vacations in the Caribbean and Paris, flights on Melgen's private jet and hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to organizations that supported the senator directly or indirectly.

Nearly 60 percent of voters polled said the corruption charges against Menendez are an extremely important or significant factor in their vote. But, 51 percent also said “a claim by that Hugin profited off an expensive cancer drug while CEO of a pharmaceutical company is an extremely important or significant factor in their votes,” according to the poll.

Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, served in the House from 1993 until he was appointed to fill a Senate vacancy in 2006. He has chaired the Foreign Relations Committee and was a major player in the unsuccessful bipartisan "Gang of Eight" effort to overhaul the nation's immigration laws in 2013.

Hugin, a native of Hudson County, graduated from Princeton University before entering the Marine Corps in 1976. He served for eight years. After earning a master’s degree in business from Virginia University, he went to work at J.P. Morgan. Over the years, he rose to managing director.

In 1999, he took over as chairman and CEO of a large pharmaceutical company called Celgene, based in Summit. He retired earlier this year.

"Any poll is just a snapshot in time," Klein, of Stockton, said. "We believe the Stockton Poll is reflective of where the Senate race is at this point."

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2018/10/16/senate-majority-pac-will-air-3m-in-tv-ads-to-boost-menendez/

Senate Majority PAC will air $3M in TV ads to boost Menendez
By Nolan Hicks
October 16, 2018 | 10:17pm

New Jersey Democrats have called in the big guns to defend Sen. Robert "Pumpkinhead" Menendez from an unexpectedly spirited Republican challenge for what was supposed to be a safe seat.

The Senate Majority Political Action Committee announced Tuesday it will begin airing $3 million in TV ads to bolster Menendez, who has struggled for months to pull away from Republican Bob Hugin.

New Jersey is solidly blue, but a corruption scandal has left the two-term incumbent battling for his political life.

“It was important that New Jersey voters understand who Bob Hugin is,” said Chris Hayden, spokesman for the Senate Majority PAC.

Advertising in Garden State races is no small commitment.

The state doesn’t have its own media market, so campaigns must buy ultra-expensive airtime in New York City and Philadelphia.

The move raised eyebrows, as it follows recent polling in October that shows Menendez has finally secured his first steady lead in the race.

“I think it’s really a sign of how tight Menendez is with the majority leadership in the Senate, even though the indications are he doesn’t really need it at this point,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University poll.

“I do think there will be some frustration . . . that they did toss that money there if they lose another competitive state by a hair’s breadth.”

The longtime New Jersey pol struggled to win back supporters after he spent years in the cross hairs of federal prosecutors, battling federal corruption charges that were eventually dropped after a jury failed to reach a verdict.

However, Menendez’s Senate colleagues voted in April to admonish him for trading gifts for favors with a Florida eye doctor who bilked the federal government out of nearly $9 million.

Hugin has been blasting the airwaves with ads attacking Menendez over the scandal, outspending the incumbent by roughly a 4-1 margin.

Campaign-finance filings analyzed by the Center for Responsive Politics show that Hugin has spent nearly $23 million as of Sept. 30, while Menendez has gone through just $7 million.

“Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi desperately spending another $3 million to try and bail out corrupt, career politician Bob Menendez confirms they are absolutely petrified that New Jersey voters know Menendez doesn’t deserve to be reelected,” Hugin campaign spokeswoman Megan Piwowar said.

The latest survey conducted by YouGov showed the incumbent with a 10-point lead.

 

[The Bobster]

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Menendez-Hugin-New-Jersey-Senate-Debate-498484732.html

Menendez, Hugin Clash in NJ Senate Race's Only Debate
Published Oct 25, 2018 at 10:05 AM

Sparks flew as New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez and Republican rival Bob Hugin clashed in their first and only debate.

Hugin said Wednesday on the NJTV debate televised statewide that the two-term senator "failed and embarrassed us."

Droopy Dog Menendez called Hugin, a former pharmaceutical executive, "greedy" over high cancer drug prices.

Menendez is on the defensive in a race where Hugin poured $24 million of his own money into ads attacking him over his 2017 corruption trial. Menendez denied wrongdoing in the bribery case and the trial ended in a mistrial. Prosecutors dropped the charges.

Menendez attacks Hugin as an ally of President Donald Trump, who is unpopular in New Jersey.

Hugin retired from Celgene this year.

Experts say the race is tighter than expected despite a Democratic registration advantage.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2018/10/24/bob-menendez-holds-slim-lead-over-rival-latest-poll-shows/

Bob Menendez holds slim lead over rival, latest poll shows
By Tamar Lapin
October 24, 2018 | 11:52pm

Republican candidate Bob Hugin (left) and Sen. Bob "Cabeza de Calabaza" Menendez
AP


Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez is holding on to a five-point lead on his rival ahead of the midterms — but his supporters aren’t very enthusiastic about their choice, a poll released Wednesday found.

The Rutgers-Eagleton survey put the embattled Democrat — who fended off federal corruption charges last year — ahead of Republican Bob Hugin among likely voters, 51 percent to 46 percent.

But while 37 percent of Hugin supporters are very eager about their choice only 19 percent of Menendez backers are with theirs, the survey showed.

The US Senate candidates faced off in their only debate Wednesday night.

 

[The Bobster]

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...nate-race-to-sen-bob-menendez/#comment-379633

Sen. Bob Menendez Defeats Republican Challenger Bob Hugin In New Jersey Senate Race
November 6, 2018 at 10:45 pm

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) — Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez has captured a third Senate term after defeating Republican candidate Bob Hugin, according to The Associated Press.

The contest between Menendez and Hugin unexpectedly narrowed as Hugin’s massive self-financing effort relentlessly highlighted the corruption case that federal prosecutors brought against Menendez and later dropped.

Menendez survived a public corruption trial in which prosecutors charged he took lavish gifts and got campaign contributions in return for helping his friend, a Florida eye doctor, with a Medicare billing issue. The cane-cutter jury couldn’t reach a verdict in 2017 and the government dropped the case this year.

But the case led the Senate Ethics Committee to admonish Menendez and say he brought discredit upon the chamber. Menendez has consistently denied any wrongdoing , though in the weeks before the election, he apologized to voters. He urged them to focus on his decades of public service, including his work drafting the Affordable Care Act , and return him to office.

In front of cheering spic supporters, Menendez called it “a victory of hope over hate , facts over fiction, inclusion over division, for hard work over ripping people off.

“I’m so proud that New Jerseyans rejected the politics of personal destruction and the false, negative salacious ads,” he added, referring to the Hugin campaign’s television ads linking him to unsubstantiated years-old allegations of liaisons with underage prostitutes that surfaced before his corruption charges.

Hugin tapped his deep pockets for more than $30 million and spent on TV ads attacking Menendez over the 2017 trial on charges that he helped a friend with Medicare billing in exchange for lavish gifts.

The charges were dropped this year after a mistrial. Menendez had always denied wrongdoing, but the Senate Ethics Committee admonished him and concluded that he violated the law.

He apologized to the public in a TV interview and in the race’s only debate in the weeks before the election.

In his concession speech, Hugin told supporters that he was proud that his campaign created “a new template” for Republicans by reaching out to urban areas in all corners of the state and letting people know “we represent all of New Jersey.”

“I wasn’t the right messenger to get it delivered, but we opened the door,” he said.

One of Menendez’s supporters at his victory party was Evelyn Arroyo-Maultsby, a member of the jury at his 2017 corruption trial who was excused midway through deliberations for a scheduled vacation. Arroyo-Maultsby told The Record on Tuesday night that Menendez was “a great man” and repeated her contention from after the trial that he had done nothing wrong.

Another supporter Samantha Bohr, 26, of Parsippany-Troy Hills, said she backed Menendez despite the trial.

“At the end of the day it was a hard choice, and when the good outweighs the bad, you just have to go with it,” Bohr said.

Bohr said she backed Menendez on the expectation that he will be a voice in the Senate to protect health care for Americans and work for immigration reform.

The race was particularly significant because Democrats sought to defend 26 seats, including 10 incumbents running in states that President Donald Trump won in 2016.

Nearly all New Jersey’s voters casting midterm election ballots said deciding who controls Congress played a role in their decision, according to a wide-ranging survey of the American electorate.

AP VoteCast found most said that Trump was a factor in their vote, while a majority also said the country is headed in the wrong direction.

AP VoteCast, an innovative nationwide survey of about 138,000 voters and nonvoters — including 3,800 voters and 664 nonvoters in the state of New Jersey — conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Menendez’s 2015 corruption indictment in which federal prosecutors charged that he accepted lavish gifts from a Florida eye doctor who is his friend in exchange for helping him with a Medicare billing issue was a central issue in the campaign. The trial ended in a mistrial in 2017, and prosecutors dropped the charges in 2018.

Hugin, though, concentrated on scandalous details in the trial, calling Menendez untrustworthy and highlighting a Senate Ethics Committee admonition letter that took him to task. The ethics panel concluded that Menendez’s actions “reflected discredit upon the Senate.”

Menendez defended himself by pointing to votes for women’s rights and on health care. He also attacked Hugin over his time at Celgene, which settled for $280 million on Hugin’s watch in 2017 over allegations it promoted cancer drugs that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The company didn’t admit liability, and Hugin points to the life-saving drugs that the company makes for cancer patients.

The race was ugly at times.

Hugin ran an ad raising unsubstantiated claims stemming from 2012 that Menendez patronized underage prostitutes as part of his friendship with the co-defendant in the 2017 trial. Menendez called them “lies.”

But the barrage of negative ads led to outside Democratic groups pouring money into the race. Senate Majority PAC, for example, said in the final weeks of the campaign that it was spending $3 million on TV ads.

President Donald Trump seemed to be a factor in the campaign. Menendez raised him as a boogeyman and said Hugin would effectively be a rubber stamp for him in Washington.

Hugin, who contributed to Trump’s campaign and appeared at the White House for a roundtable talk about drug prices alongside Trump, largely tried to keep his distance. He said he would be an independent voice for the state.

New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/02/07/senat...-probe-into-bob-menendezs-alleged-corruption/

Senate ethics panel closes probe into Bob Menendez’s alleged corruption
By Mark Moore
February 7, 2019 | 4:49pm | Updated February 7, 2019 | 6:21pm

A Senate ethics panel that admonished Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez for taking gifts from a Florida eye surgeon closed the case after the New Jersey Democrat paid back their value.

The committee, which last April rebuked Menendez for his actions that “reflected discredit on the Senate,” notified the senator last week that it ended the inquiry.

Menendez received gifts from Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen that included a Paris vacation, flights on a private jet and vacations at Melgen’s villa in the Dominican Republic.

Menendez made good on the gifts and updated his financial disclosure reports to reflect receiving the gifts.

“Having already received documentation that all impermissible gifts have been repaid, the committee hereby considers this matter closed,” Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the panel’s chairman, and ranking Democrat Sen. Christopher "Chrome Dome" Coons of Delaware said in the letter sent last Friday.

Menendez repaid Melgen $105,475 for flights going back as far back as 2006. He also reimbursed Melgen $6,068 for lodging and $875 for car service, according to the disclosure reports.

“I’m pleased this issue is closed,” Menendez said in a statement.

The gifts led to federal corruption charges against the senator.

Menendez’s lawyers chalked up the gifts as tokens of their friendship that went back nearly 20 years and not part of a bribery scheme.

But prosecutors said the flights, vacations and campaign contributions were part of a tit-for-tat effort on Melgen’s part to repay Menendez for helping the doctor’s business interests, including a Medicare dispute.

A jury deadlocked on the charges after an 11-week federal corruption trial in November 2017. Prosecutors decided against a retrial.

Menendez was elected to a third term last November after beating Republican Bob Hugin.

Melgen was convicted in a separate case of health care fraud, submitting false claims and falsifying patients’ records and is serving a 17-year prison sentence.

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2021/03/06/nj-sen-bob-menendez-has-spent-almost-300000-at-mortons-steakhouse/

NJ Sen. Bob Menendez has spent almost $300K at Morton’s Steakhouse
By Jon Levine
March 6, 2021 | 5:33pm | Updated

He’s raising the steaks on political donations.

New Jersey Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez has dropped just over $298,000 at Morton’s Steakhouse since 2003, averaging more than $16,000 a year on bovine indulgences, a review of FEC records by The Post shows.

The Democrat charged the bills to donors of his Senate campaign committee and his New Millennium Leadership PAC. The largest single check — a $12,957.69 whopper — came in February 2020.

“He is one of our regulars,” a steakhouse staffer confirmed to The Post.

The Chicago steak chain was founded in 1978 and currently has 72 locations around the United State. Today it’s a subsidiary of Landry’s, Inc, headed by GOP billionaire and close Trump ally Tilman Fertitta.

Almost all of Menendez’s charges for Morton’s came from its Washington DC location, where his fondness for the spot is well-known around town. A 2019 profile of Menendez in the Star Ledger called the eatery one of a “few indulgences” which also included after-dinner cigars. Those smokes cost the senator’s various committees more than $3,200 at Jamie’s Cigar Bar & Restaurant in Clifton, N.J.

“He spent enough money on steak and cigars to buy a new house in New Jersey,” said Garden State political consultant Bill Cortese. “It’s the best lobbyist-funded lifestyle money can buy.”

Menendez, 67, has served in the Senate since 2006, and weathered a major scandal when reports surfaced in 2013 that a federal grand jury in Miami was investigating him for advocating for the business interests of Florida ophthalmologist and major donor Salomon Melgen. The pol was indicted in 2015 on charges that included bribery, fraud, and making false statements. The Miami case ended in a mistrial and charges were dropped , but Menendez was “severely admonished” in 2018 by the Senate ethics committee.

Menendez Chief of Staff Fred Turner said the beef was bull.

“It’s no secret that Senator Menendez likes going to Morton’s, where he and/or I, as his chief political advisor, have routinely hosted political and fundraising lunches and dinners for New Millenium over the years in support of Democratic candidates in New Jersey and across the country,” Turner told The Post.

 

[The Bobster]

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez under federal investigation again | CNN Politics

Sen. Bob Menendez is facing a new federal investigation after a jury failed to reach a verdict in his 2017 trial for corruption, an adviser to the New Jersey Democrat said in a statement Wednesday.

www.cnn.com

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez under federal investigation again​

By Paula Reid, Kara Scannell and Clare Foran, CNN

Updated 6:59 PM EDT, Wed October 26, 2022

Sen. Bob Menendez gives a speech in August 2015 in South Orange, New Jersey.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images

CNN —

Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead"Menendez is facing a new federal investigation after a jury failed to reach a verdict in his 2017 trial for corruption, an adviser to the New Jersey Democrat said in a statement Wednesday.

“Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation,” Michael Soliman, an adviser to Menendez said in the statement. “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 US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is conducting the investigation, a source told CNN. The scope of the investigation is unclear.

The digital news operation Semafor was first to report on the investigation and described it as broadly similar to the 2017 case, but involving a different set of people, citing two people familiar with the investigation.

The federal corruption trial of Menendez ended in a mistrial in November 2017 after the jury reported it was deadlocked.

Menendez faced charges of conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud related to allegedly abusing the power of his office that could carry decades in prison. Prosecutors said the senator accepted more than $600,000 in political contributions, a luxurious hotel suite at the Park Hyatt in Paris, and free rides on a private jet from a wealthy ophthalmologist, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in exchange for political favors.

Both men denied all of the charges. Following the mistrial, a federal judge acquitted them of several of the charges in 2018.

Melgen was convicted on dozens of counts of health care fraud and sentenced to 17 years in a separate case, but his sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump in 2021.

 

[The Bobster]

Dozens of subpoenas issued in investigation involving Sen. Bob Menendez

Two people familiar with the matter said one of the entities involved in the probe is a New Jersey company that says it's the only firm authorized by the Egyptian government "to certify Halal exports worldwide."

www.nbcnews.com

EXCLUSIVE
Congress

Dozens of subpoenas issued in investigation involving Sen. Bob Menendez​

Two people familiar with the matter said one of the entities involved in the probe is a New Jersey company that says it's the only firm authorized by the Egyptian government "to certify Halal exports worldwide."

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill on Sept. 20.Jose Luis Magana / AP file

By Jonathan Dienst, Tom Winter and Courtney Copenhagen
Dozens of federal grand jury subpoenas have been issued in the past several months as part of the federal criminal investigation involving several people in New Jersey and the powerful Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob "Pumpkinjead" Menendez, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.
An adviser for Menendez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office for Southern New York, declined to comment.
Two people familiar with the matter said one of the entities involved in the investigation is IS EG Halal of Edgewater, New Jersey.
According to the company’s website, “IS EG Halal is the only entity exclusively authorized by the Government of Egypt to certify Halal exports worldwide.”
Lawrence Lustberg, an attorney for the founder and president of IS EG Halal, Wael Hana, said Hana is aware of the U.S. government’s investigation, “but he does not know what it is about.”
In a statement to NBC News, Lustberg said that “for some time now, he has asked the prosecutors to share with him their concerns so that he could respond to them and, in a spirit of cooperation, share with them his explanations with regard to those concerns.”

“Once he has the opportunity to do so, and the truth comes out, he is confident that the Government will agree with him that he has done absolutely nothing wrong,” Lustberg said.
A federal court filing shows that the FBI searched IS EG Halal headquarters and Hana’s residence in November 2019. According to a filing by Lustberg, federal agents seized cellphones, computers, tablets, USB drives, business documents, notepads, a photo album, $5,943 dollars in cash, jewelry and Hana’s passport.

​

According to filings not just by Lustberg but also by two federal prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office for Southern New York, most of the seized items were returned to Lustberg on Jan. 31, 2020.
Lustberg added in a statement that based on his review of the evidence that was seized, he agrees with his client that Hana has committed no wrongdoing.
The court filings do not specify why federal investigators conducted the search, and NBC News could not confirm whether it was tied to the current investigation involving Menendez.
On Wednesday, Menendez adviser Michael Soliman said, “Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation.”
Soliman added in a message to NBC News, “As always, should any official inquiries be made, the senator is available to provide any assistance that is requested of him or his office.”

Sen. Menendez under federal criminal investigation by U.S. attorney's office​

Oct. 26, 202202:09

Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was indicted in 2015 on federal corruption charges of illegally accepting favors from a Florida eye doctor, Salomon Melgen, including flights on a private jet to stay at Melgen’s resort in the Dominican Republic, three nights at a five-star hotel in Paris and more than $700,000 in political contributions for Menendez, as well as the Democratic Party.

The case ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Several jurors told reporters that they believed the government’s evidence was not convincing.

Federal prosecutors decided in 2018 not to retry him.

Menendez is not up for re-election until 2024. He has served in the Senate since 2006 and previously served in the House.

 

[The Bobster]

Federal prosecutors looking into Sen. Bob. Menendez’s wife over gifts: report

Manhattan federal prosecutors are investigating whether Nadine Arslanian, the wife of Sen. Bob Menendez, received gifts from individuals who sought favors from her husband.

nypost.com

Federal prosecutors looking into Sen. Bob. Menendez’s wife over gifts: report​

By
Victor Nava


November 18, 2022 7:58pm
Updated











Manhattan federal prosecutors are investigating whether Nadine Arslanian, the wife of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), received gifts or services from individuals who sought favors from her husband, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Arslanian’s associates have been subpoenaed in the investigation by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York — and have been asked for information about both Arslanian and Menendez, according to the outlet.
The investigation is separate from a 2015 probe that resulted in bribery and corruption charges against Menendez, 68, and ended in a mistrial two years later.
The current probe dates back to at least 2019, according to the Journal, when federal investigators executed search warrants against New Jersey businessman Wael Hana, who runs the only company allowed to certify meat exports to Egypt as halal and is an associate of Arslanian.
Court documents reportedly indicate that prosecutors are looking into possible undisclosed foreign lobbying. Hana’s lawyer told the Journal that his client obtained his halal certification contract with Egypt “without any assistance whatsoever from any US public official.”




00:01 01:29 Investigators are looking into if Nadine Arslanian, the wife of Sen. Bob Menendez allegedly received gifts or services from people who wanted things from her husband.Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla
New Jersey attorney Antranig Aslanian has also been subpoenaed in the investigation, according to the report. Aslanian is reportedly a longtime friend of Nadine Arslanian, and both are Armenian.


Aslanian told the Journal that he didn’t know what prosecutors were looking for.


In the 2015 case against Menendez, prosecutors alleged he accepted nearly $1 million in flights on a private jet, vacations, and other gifts from Florida ophthalmologist Dr. Salomon Melgen in exchange for acquiring visas for the doctor’s foreign girlfriends.


Investigators also alleged that Menendez received hefty political donations in exchange for helping Melgen secure lucrative government contracts.

The investigation is separate from a 2015 probe that resulted in bribery and corruption charges against Menendez.Getty Images/Drew Angerer
Last month, an adviser to Menendez, Michael Soliman, told The Post that the senator was “aware of an investigation,” but “does not know the scope.”


“As always, should any official inquiries be made, the senator is available to provide any assistance that is requested of him or his office,” Soliman said.





Menendez, New Jersey’s senior senator, has been in office since 2006 and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.


Menendez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Journal’s report.

 

[The Bobster]

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez indicted on federal bribery charges

The indictment charges Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, with bribery offenses, according to the Justice Department.

www.cbsnews.com

Democratic Sen. Robert "Pumpkinhead" Menendez indicted on federal bribery charges​

By Melissa Quinn, CBS News Philadelphia Staff

September 22, 2023 / 10:55 AM / CBS News





Washington — Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife have been indicted by a federal grand jury, according to court filings unsealed Friday, with prosecutors alleging the couple accepted lavish bribes in exchange for official acts.

The bribery offenses against Menendez stem from a yearslong public-corruption investigation by the Justice Department. The indictment unsealed Friday charges Mendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, with three counts in connection to their relationship with three New Jersey businessmen.

Menendez, 69, and his wife face one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. The three New Jersey associates, identified as Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, are also named as co-defendants and face two counts.

Nadine Menendez and Hana were friends for several years before she began dating Menendez, according to the filing. A court-authorized search of Hana's cellphone in November 2019 revealed "thousands" of text messages between him and Nadine Menendez, which prosecutors said were deleted from her phone.

Daibes, a longtime fundraiser for Menendez, was charged by the Justice Department in 2018 with obtaining loans under false pretenses from the New Jersey bank he founded, the indictment said.


Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced the charges during a press conference Friday morning and said the investigation is ongoing.

"Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists," Menendez said in a statement released through his office Friday afternoon.

The full statement is below.

What does the indictment allege?​

The 39-page indictment claims that beginning in 2018, Menendez and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using his power and influence as a U.S. senator to enrich and protect the three businessmen and benefit Egypt's government.


The bribes allegedly included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a "low-or-no-show-job," a luxury vehicle and "other things of value," according to the charging document.

Federal agents found more than $480,000 in cash during a search of the couple's home in June 2022, "much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe," as well as over $70,000 in a safe deposit box belonging to Nadine Menendez. They also found gold bars worth more than $100,000, according to the indictment.

Envelopes of cash were allegedly found in jackets with Menendez's name that were hanging in his closet. Prosecutors included photos of some of the cash and two of the gold bars they say were seized:

Photo from the unsealed indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez, accused of accepting bribes including $100,000 in gold bars. Two of the gold bars are shown here. Government exhibit

Photos from the federal indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey. Government exhibit
Federal agents conducting the search also found numerous items paid for by Hana, Daibes or Uribe, including home furnishings and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, according to the filing.

Prosecutors allege the "corrupt relationship" between Menendez and three businessmen began around 2018, when Hana and Nadine Menendez "worked to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to" the senator with the goal of establishing a "corrupt agreement." The deal called for Hana, with help from Daibes and Uribe, to provide bribes to the Menendezes in exchange for the senator using his posture to benefit the Egyptian government, Hana and others.

Menendez's position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave him oversight of U.S. military aid to foreign countries, including Egypt. As chairman, he could place so-called "holds" on foreign military financing and military sales, which the State Department typically honored.

The indictment notes that Menendez, as chairman of the panel, "possessed substantial influence over foreign military sales and foreign military financing to Egypt."


The scheme tapped into Menendez's power in the Senate, prosecutors said. Hana promised in part to hire Nadine Menendez for a "low-or-no-show job" at his company, IS EG Halal Certified, Inc., if the senator would "use his power and authority to facilitate" foreign military sales and financing to Egypt, which had been withheld for years, according to the charging document.

The senator is accused of providing sensitive, nonpublic government information about the number of people serving at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to Nadine Menendez, before they were married, which she allegedly forwarded to Hana. Hana then shared the information with an unnamed Egyptian government official, according to the indictment.

Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations nomination hearing. Andrew Harnik / AP
During a May 2018 dinner Hana hosted with Menendez at a high-end restaurant, the senator provided him with nonpublic information about military aid from the U.S. to Egypt, prosecutors said. After the dinner, Hana texted an Egyptian military official, "The ban on small arms and ammunition to Egypt has been lifted. That means sales can begin. That will include sniper rifles among other articles," the indictment states.

Justice Department lawyers said Menendez also intervened to protect a monopoly for Hana's company, IS EG Halal, which allegedly allowed Hana to pay the Menendezes and "advanced the scheme" by providing a revenue stream from which Hana could "make good on the bribe payments he had promised to" the senator and his wife, according to the indictment. But prosecutors said the monopoly led to increased costs for U.S. meat suppliers and others, and the U.S. government asked Egypt to reconsider of its grant of monopoly rights to IS EG Halal.

In response to this intervention by the Department of Agriculture, Hana asked Menendez around May 2019 for help with addressing the government's objections to his company's monopoly, according to the indictment. The senator then "improperly advised and pressured" a high-level Department of Agriculture official and urged the department to stop interfering with IS EG Halal's monopoly, prosecutors said.

The indictment notes that the unnamed official "did not accede" to Menendez's demand, but IS EG Halal kept its monopoy.

He is also accused of using to use his influence and power as a senator to disrupt a criminal investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office related to Uribe. Prosecutors said that around January 2019, Menendez, his wife, Hana and Uribe agreed the senator "would attempt to intervene" with an unnamed official to influence the prosecution of Uribe's associate in exchange for a car for Nadine Menendez.


After the senator called the official about the case, Hana and Uribe worked to provide Nadine Menendez with the Mercedes-Benz convertible, which she purchased in April 2019, according to the indictment. In addition to providing $15,000 in cash for a down payment for the car, Uribe also made monthly payments for the car, the Justice Department said.

Federal prosecutors included a photo of the Mercedes convertible that Nadine Menendez texted to her husband. Justice Department
After agents executed search warrants at the Menendezes' home, Uribe stopped making payments on the car, the indictment claims.

Prosecutors also allege Menendez used his sway as a senator to recommend President Biden nominate a candidate to serve as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, someone whom Menendez believed he could influence regarding the federal criminal prosecution of Daibes. The candidate, who was ultimately nominated and confirmed by the Senate, was recused from the case involving Daibes.

"Fortunately, the public officials the senators sought to influence did not bend to the pressure. That's a good thing," said Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Menendez's Senate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

The New Jersey senator was indicted in 2015 on roughly a dozen charges, including bribery and conspiracy, following accusations he accepted gifts from a wealthy Democratic donor in exchange for political favors. That case ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict after deliberating for more than a week.

Sources confirmed to CBS News in October 2022 that Menendez was under criminal investigation in New York.


First elected to Congress in 1992 to represent New Jersey's 13th Congressional District, Menendez was appointed to the Senate in 2006 and elected to a full term later that year. In the course of his tenure in the Senate, Menedez rose to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a post he resumed when Democrats took control of the upper after the 2020 election.

Full statement from Pumpkinhead Menendez​

"For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave. Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.
The excesses of these prosecutors is apparent. They have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office. On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had before she and I even met.
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. Even worse, they see me as an obstacle in the way of their broader political goals.
I have been falsely accused before because I refused to back down to the powers that be and the people of New Jersey were able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognize I was innocent. I have worked every day to repay their trust by fighting to create jobs, strengthen public safety, update infrastructure, and reduce costs for New Jersey families. I have also stood steadfast against dictators around the globe – whether they be in Iran, Cuba, Turkey, or elsewhere – fighting against the forces of appeasement and standing with those who stand for freedom and democracy. I remain focused on continuing this important work and will not be distracted by baseless allegations.
They wrote these charges as they wanted; the facts are not as presented. Prosecutors did that the last time and look what a trial demonstrates. People should remember that before accepting the prosecutor's version.
To my supporters, friends and the community at large, I ask that you recall the other times the prosecutors got it wrong and that you reserve judgement. I am confident that this matter will be successfully resolved once all of the facts are presented and my fellow New Jerseyans will see this for what it is."

 

[The Bobster]

NJ Sen. Bob Menendez hit with federal corruption charges for second time; allegedly took bribes — including $100K in gold bars

The Senate Historical Office says Menendez appears to be the first sitting senator in U.S. history to have been indicted on two unrelated criminal allegations.

nypost.com

NJ Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez hit with federal corruption charges for second time; allegedly took bribes — including $100K in gold bars​

By
Kyle Schnitzer,
Priscilla DeGregory and
Ben Kochman



Published Sep. 22, 2023, 9:59 a.m. ET








New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has been hit with federal corruption charges related to a years-long scheme in which he allegedly accepted bribes — including gold bars — in exchange for helping three businessmen and the country of Egypt, officials announced Friday.


The Democrat, 69 — and his wife, Nadine Menendez — were charged with taking hundreds of thousands in bribes, according to a Manhattan federal indictment.

Piles of cash were found in envelopes in Menendez’s closet.US District Court Nadine Arslanian and Bob Menendez at the White House.Getty Images

Menendez has been hit with federal corruption charges related to a years-long scheme in which he allegedly accepted bribes, including gold bars.US District Court
This is his second time facing federal corruption charges.


When the feds raided Menendez’s Englewood Cliffs home in June 2022, they found “the fruits” of his “corrupt bribery agreement” including a 2019 Mercedes C-Class, at least 13 gold bars, and $566,000 in cash “stuffed in envelopes.”


The feds say Menendez also received mortgage payments and paid for a low-show or no-show job and home furnishings.

---

Follow The Post’s latest coverage on New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment

• Sen. Bob Menendez indictment live updates
• NJ Sen. Bob Menendez hit with federal corruption charges for second time; allegedly took bribes — including $100K in gold bars
• Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife sold $400K in gold bars months before his office admitted he was facing federal probe

---

Another $70,000 in cash was found in Nadine’s safe deposit box, the indictment claims.


In exchange, Menendez — whose New Jersey federal corruption trial ended with a hung jury in 2017 — used his office to help and shield three Garden State businessmen, co-defendants Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, the court papers claim.

Sen. Bob Menendez proposed to Nadine Arslanian in front of the Taj Mahal.Robert&Nadine/YouTube New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and his new wife, Nadine Arslanian, are the focus of an FBI probe into whether they received gifts.AFP via Getty Images US Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his wife have been indicted on charges of bribery.AP/Alex Brandon

Stacks of cash were found in Menendez’s closet with his government outerwear.US District Court
“The indictment alleges that … [the] senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for Senator Menendez using his power and influence to protect and to enrich those businessmen and to benefit the government,” Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams told reporters at a news conference announcing the indictment.


From 2018 through 2022, Menendez provided “substantial military aid to Egypt” including handing over sensitive information from the US government and annual grants of over $1 billion in foreign military financing, the indictment claims.


Williams said Menendez used “power and influence” – including his post on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – to benefit the government of Egypt, including by allegedly providing “sensitive nonpublic US government information to Egyptian officials.”




Menendez also tried to interfere in federal probes of Uribe and Daibes to help protect them from criminal charges, including by recommending someone for New Jersey US attorney — the same office that prosecuted him starting in 2015 — that he thought he could have sway over in the probe of Daibes, the indictment claims.


Williams pointed out a message on Menendez’ official Senate website, which states, in part, that “he cannot compel an agency to act in someone’s favor … he cannot influence matters involving a private business. It says he cannot get involved in criminal matters, or cases, period.”


“But we allege behind the scenes, Senator Menendez was doing those things for certain people, the people who were bribing him and his wife,” Williams charged.


The US Attorney added that the investigation was “very much ongoing.”


“We’re not done,” he said. “And I want to encourage anyone with information to come forward and to come forward quickly they can do that by reaching out, the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”


In a lengthy statement, Menendez claimed he had been falsely accused and the victim of “an active smear campaign.”





“For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave. Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists,” the statement said.


“[Prosecutors] have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office. On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had before she and I even met.”


Menendez, his wife Nadine, and Uribe, Daibes and Hana are expected to make their first appearance in Manhattan federal court in the case on Wednesday morning, according to a spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office.

 

[The Bobster]

Sen. Bob Menendez indictment live updates: Ex-top cop helped Nadine Menendez leave fatal crash without sobriety test — Exclusive

The New Jersey senator is facing federal corruption charges for the second time in 10 years. Follow the Post’s live coverage for updates from the Menendez case.

nypost.com

Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez indictment live updates: Senator cries racism, conspiracy​

By
New York Post



Updated Sep. 22, 2023, 12:12 p.m. ET








New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has been hit with federal corruption charges related to a years-long scheme in which he allegedly accepted bribes – including gold bars – in exchange for helping three businessmen and the country of Egypt, officials announced Friday.

The Democrat, 69 — and his wife Nadine Menendez — were charged with taking hundreds of thousands worth in bribes, according to a Manhattan federal indictment.

Bob Menendez, NJ senator and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, has been indicted on charges of bribery, along with his wife, Nadine Arslanian.AP

What to know​

• NJ Sen. Bob Menendez hit with federal corruption charges for second time; allegedly took bribes — including $100K in gold bars
• Businessman at center of FBI’s Menendez probe went from foreclosure to luxury after meeting Democrat
• Feds consider charging Sen. Bob Menendez after years-long corruption probe: report
• Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife sold $400K in gold bars months before his office admitted he was facing federal probe

31 minutes ago

Menendez cries racism???, conspiracy after SDNY indictment​

By Samuel Chamberlain
More from Sen. Bob Menendez:
"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. Even worse, they see me as an obstacle in the way of their broader political goals.

Robert "Bob" Menendez and his wife Nadine Mendez attend an annual forum hosted by The European House-Ambrosetti, a private think tank, on Sept. 1 in Cernobbio, Italy. Getty Images
“I have been falsely accused before because I refused to back down to the powers that be and the people of New Jersey were able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognize I was innocent. I have worked every day to repay their trust by fighting to create jobs, strengthen public safety, update infrastructure, and reduce costs for New Jersey families. I have also stood steadfast against dictators around the globe – whether they be in Iran, Cuba, Turkey, or elsewhere – fighting against the forces of appeasement and standing with those who stand for freedom and democracy. I remain focused on continuing this important work and will not be distracted by baseless allegations.
“They wrote these charges as they wanted; the facts are not as presented. Prosecutors did that the last time and look what a trial demonstrates. People should remember that before accepting the prosecutor’s version.
“To my supporters, friends and the community at large, I ask that you recall the other times the prosecutors got it wrong and that you reserve judgement. I am confident that this matter will be successfully resolved once all of the facts are presented and my fellow New Jerseyans will see this for what it is."



13 minutes ago

Photos from the Menendez indictment​

By New York Post

On or about October 29, 2019—the day after URIBE texted NADINE MENENDEZ, “I always text you on Monday in case you have an update. I just need peace.”— MENENDEZ called URIBE from his Senate office in Washington, D.C. Within minutes of getting off the phone, URIBE texted NADINE MENENDEZ, writing, “I just got a call and I am a very happy person.” and “GOD bless you and him for ever.” Several nights later, MENENDEZ, NADINE MENENDEZ, URIBE, and Associate-3 met for a celebratory dinner and toasted with a bottle of champagne.US District Court

Menendez still on Foreign Relations Committee -- for now​

By Samuel Chamberlain
Absent from that statement by Menendez is any mention of standing down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which many assumed he would have to do in light of the allegations.
When he was indicted in 2015, Menendez did step down as ranking member of the panel, to be replaced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
Menendez resumed his former role in 2018 after the corruption case against him was dropped.



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42 minutes ago

Menendez: Indictment full of 'false claims,' feds 'misrepresented' my work​

By Samuel Chamberlain
Sen. Bob Menendez has just put out a lengthy statement about his indictment. Some highlights:
"For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave. Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists."
"[Prosecutors] have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office. On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had before she and I even met.



an hour ago

Indictment: How Menendez passed sensitive info to Egypt​

By Samuel Chamberlain
Apart from the bribery allegations, some of the most damning claims against Menendez -- the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- is that he passed sensitive US government information to Egyptian officials as part of his corrupt dealings.
The allegations include:

• Menendez texted Nadine -- then his girlfriend -- a breakdown of the number of Americans and Egyptians working at the US Embassy in Cairo in May 2018
• That same month, Menendez gave Hana the drop on information that the US would soon lift its ban on small arms and ammunition sales to Egypt
• During the same time period Menendez secretly ghost-wrote and edited a letter lobbying his fellow senators to vote to release a hold on $300 million in aid to Egypt

AD
an hour ago

Williams: 'We're not done' with investigation​

By Kyle Schnitzer
Shortly before the news conference ends, Williams says the investigation is "very much ongoing."
"We're not done," he says. "And I want to encourage anyone with information to come forward and to come forward quickly they can do that by reaching out, the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”



an hour ago

Williams: Menendez did what he said he couldn't do​

By Samuel Chamberlain
Williams points out a message on Menendez's official Senate website, which states, in part, that "he cannot compel an agency to act in someone's favor ... he cannot influence matters involving a private business ... he cannot get involved in criminal matters or cases, period."
"But we allege that behind the scenes, Senator Menendez was doing those things for certain people, the people who were bribing him," the Manhattan US attorney says

 

[The Bobster]

Exclusive | Ex-top cop helped Bob Menendez’s wife leave deadly car crash without sobriety test or handing over phone

Michael Mordaga turned up when Nadine Arslanian killed Richard Koop in Bogota, NJ, in 2018. She left without a summons. He had been top cop in nearby Hackensack.

nypost.com

Ex-top cop helped Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez’s wife leave deadly car crash without sobriety test or handing over phone​

By
Isabel Vincent



Published Oct. 6, 2023, 7:00 a.m. ET

​

A retired top policeman helped Robert Menendez’s wife-to-be leave the scene of her fatal car crash without a sobriety test or handing over her phone.


The Post has learned that Michael Mordaga, the former director of Hackensack Police and an ex-chief of detectives in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, was on the scene within minutes when Nadine Arslanian slammed her black Mercedes into Richard Koop in Bogota, NJ, in December 2018.


Mordaga, 66, helped her leave behind the totaled car and take her belongings from it after quizzing the patrolman dealing with the crash on what he planned to do.


Dashcam footage and 911 recordings do not show Arslanian asking after the victim, but they do show her refusing to have her cellphone searched and also suggest she did not call 911 until officers were already on the scene — then told them the wrong location for the crash.


[IMG alt="The Bogota Police Department released footage of Sen. Bob Menendezâs now-wife being questioned after she fatally struck a pedestrian on Dec. 12, 2018.
"]https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/NYPICHPDPICT000055870897.jpg?w=1024[/IMG] 13
The Bogota Police Department released footage of Sen. Bob Menendezâs now-wife being questioned after she fatally struck a pedestrian on Dec. 12, 2018. Bogota Police Department
13
Dashcam showed Arslanian shivering in her fur coat and short dress as she was questioned by a Bogota, NJ, patrolman about Richard Koop’s death. Bogota Police Department
A witness claimed that she told cops she was going to call someone for help.


At the time, Arslanian was dating both Menendez, whom she married in 2020, and her long-term boyfriend Douglas= Anton, an attorney who went to represent R. Kelly in his sex trafficking trial.


The fatal collision on December 12, 2018, led to part of the sweeping bribery and corruption charges brought against her and Menendez, which they both deny.

What we know about Bob Menendez's indictment​

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is facing federal corruption charges related to an alleged years-long scheme.
Menendez allegedly accepted bribes, including gold bars, in exchange for helping three businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, and the country of Egypt, according to officials.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were charged with taking hundreds of thousands in bribes, according to a Manhattan federal indictment.
When the feds raided Menendez’s Englewood Cliffs home in June 2022, they found a 2019 Mercedes C-Class, at least 13 gold bars, and $566,000 in cash “stuffed in envelopes.” Another $70,000 in cash was found in Nadine’s safe deposit box.
13
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were indicted on federal corruption charges.AP
The feds say Menendez also received mortgage payments and paid for a low-show or no-show job and home furnishings.
This isn’t the first time the 69-year-old Democrat is facing federal corruption charges. In 2015, Menendez was accused of taking gifts from Florida eye surgeon Salomon Melgen.
The “gifts” included a Paris vacation, flights on a private jet, and vacations at Melgen’s villa in the Dominican Republic.

A month after the crash, Arslanian texted Wael Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman also indicted in the bribery scheme, about the loss of her car, and he later provided her with a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible, worth $60,000, prosecutors allege.


Arslanian’s role in 49-year-old Koop’s death, however, only emerged Wednesday, in dashcam footage and other records released by the Bogota Police Department to NorthJersey.com.


13
Nadine Arslanian’s black Mercedes was smashed up after she hit and killed a pedestrian in 2018.Law Offices Rosemarie Arnold

 

[The Bobster]

70% of New Jersey residents want indicted Sen. Bob Menendez to quit, poll shows

Nearly three-quarters of New Jersey residents want Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez to resign following his indictment on federal bribery and illegal foreign lobbying charges. A Fairleigh Dickinson Uni…

nypost.com

70% of New Jersey residents want indicted Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez to quit, poll shows​

By
Josh Christenson



Published Oct. 19, 2023, 12:18 p.m. ET











Nearly three-quarters of New Jersey residents want Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez to resign following his indictment on federal bribery and illegal foreign lobbying charges.
A Fairleigh Dickinson University survey found Thursday that 70% of Garden State residents want Menendez, 69, out before the end of his third term in January 2025.
Just 16% said he should remain in office.
The poll also found that 80% of Republicans favor the senator stepping down, along with 71% of Democrats and 67% of independents.
Young and black New Jersey residents are more likely to say Menendez should stay put — though only 25% of the latter group said he should stay on.
Notably, while Menendez has claimed racial motivations among his political enemies, 71% of Hispanics say the Cuban American lawmaker should resign.
6
Seventy percent of New Jersey residents want Sen. Bob Menendez to resign, following his indictment on federal bribery and illegal foreign lobbying charges.Getty Images
6
Eighty percent of Republicans favor the embattled senator resigning.AP
“Menendez has been able to weather charges in the past,” said Dan Cassino, an FDU government and politics professor who led the polling. “But this time, it just doesn’t seem like he has any real support left.”
A majority of survey respondents also said New Jersey politicians are either “very corrupt” or “somewhat” corrupt, with only 9% saying that those who hold public office are “not at all” corrupt.
The Fairleigh Dickinson poll showed that 54% of New Jersey residents said they were “almost certain” to vote in state legislative elections next month when the Menendez indictment was mentioned, while just 47% gave the same response when it was not.
6
Some 71% of Democrats and 67% of independents said that Menendez should step down.EDUARDO MUNOZ/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
One in five independent voters (20%) also favor Republican candidates when the Menendez charges are brought up by questioners, while just 12% favor the GOP when the indictment is not mentioned.
However, 79% of Democrats said they would support their party’s candidate once the Menendez indictment had been brought up, compared to 73% who said they would back their party when the charges were not mentioned.
Democratic candidates in New Jersey also lead on the generic ballot by 10 percentage points (38% to 28%) when the senator’s legal troubles are mentioned and six percentage points (37% to 31%) when they are not.
6
Menendez was indicted again, along with his wife, Nadine Menendez, on Sept. 22 for allegedly taking bribes from three wealthy New Jersey businessmen in exchange for gold bars, cash and a convertible.AP
“Thinking about Menendez makes less partisan voters more likely to say that they’re going to vote Republican,” Cassino added. “The question is whether those voters are going to bother to show up in what’s normally a very low turnout election.”
The Garden State Democrat, who is running for re-election next year, was also indicted in 2015 on corruption charges after he allegedly used his political influence to help a Florida eye surgeon in exchange for gifts and campaign contributions.
That case ended in a hung jury in 2017.
Menendez was indicted again, along with his wife, Nadine, on Sept. 22 for allegedly taking bribes from three wealthy New Jersey businessmen in exchange for 13 gold bars, $486,461 in cash and a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class convertible, among other items.
6
Menendez has claimed racial motivations from his political enemies, but 71% of Hispanics say the Cuban American lawmaker should resign.EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The FBI raided the Democratic senator’s home in June 2022 and found what prosecutors call “the fruits” of his corrupt bribery agreement with the businessmen: Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe.
The Menendezes also face charges of corruption by leveraging the senator’s chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to aid the government of Egypt, including allegedly lobbying his colleagues to unfreeze $300 million in military aid.
On Oct. 12, Menendez and his wife were hit with a superseding indictment for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act in their dealings with Egyptian officials.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who is retiring at the end of his current term next year, has been elevated to chairman of the committee — even as Menendez refuses to resign and says he will fight the charges in federal court.
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On Wednesday, Menendez was barred from attending a classified briefing on the war between Israel and Hamas.Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
The senator’s legal defense fund raked in $274,500 in the third quarter of this year, powered by longtime New Jersey Democratic donors to his campaigns and previous legal defense fund.

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On Wednesday, Menendez was barred from attending a classified briefing on the war between Israel and Hamas — following jeers from Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman about his alleged collusion with Egypt.


The Fairleigh-Dickinson survey, which was conducted between Oct. 6 and Oct. 14, polled 813 New Jersey residents by telephone interviews or text-to-web surveys sent to cellphones.


It had a plus-or-minus 3.5% margin of error.

 

[The Bobster]

Sen. Bob Menendez’s lawyers push to delay federal bribery trial until after NJ primary over ‘complexity of case’

“Contrary to the government’s overheated statements to the press, this is far from an open-and-shut case,” the lawyers wrote, adding the request trial date extension is “modest.”

nypost.com

Sen. Bob Menendez’s lawyers push to delay federal bribery trial until after NJ primary over ‘complexity of case’​

By
Social Links for Ben Kochman and
Social Links for David Propper



Published Dec. 20, 2023, 10:27 p.m. ET








Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez’s legal team wants the New Jersey pol’s federal bribery trial shelved until after June’s primary — though it remains unclear whether or not the scandal-scarred Democrat is running for re-election.


Lawyers on behalf of Menendez and his co-defendants urged Judge Sidney Stein to delay the trial from its current start date of May 6, 2024, by at least two months, citing the “complexity of the case” against the longtime Garden State official.


If Menendez, 69, has his way, the trial would begin no earlier than July 2024.


“We do not make this request lightly,” lawyers Adam Fee and Avi Weitzman wrote in a three-page memo to Stein.


“We are compelled to do so, however, given the complexity of this case,” as well as the “volume and timing of the government’s disclosures, and the significant motion practice ahead.”


Menendez is facing federal corruption charges tied to a years-long investigation in which he allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands in bribes — in the form of cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible and more — in exchange for helping the Egyptian government and protecting the interests of three wealthy businessmen.

The NJ senator wants his trial pushed back. Getty Images
His wife, Nadine Menendez, 56, was also charged in the case.


Menendez exerted his “power and influence” to benefit Egyptian leaders, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said when announcing the charges.


“Contrary to the government’s overheated statements to the press, this is far from an open-and-shut case,” his lawyers wrote, adding the requested trial date extension is “modest.”


A spokesperson for Manhattan’s US Attorney’s office declined to comment on the latest memo.

Menendez is facing bribery charges. REUTERS
If the trial extension is granted, it would be at least a month after New Jersey’s June 4 Democratic primary, during which Menendez’s seat is up for reelection.


Rep. Andy Kim and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy are among the candidates who intend to run for the seat. Menendez has not made clear if he’s running again.


Candidates have until March 25 to file petitions to run, the Bergen Record reported.


Menendez’s chief of staff said in an email to the Associated Press earlier this week that the “people of New Jersey will determine who their senator will be” without further divulging his plan.





He was previously indicted on corruption and bribery charges in 2017, but the jury in that case was deadlocked, leading to a mistrial.


He’s been a US senator since 2006.

 

[The Bobster]

Bob Menendez hooked up bribe-paying NJ businessman with Qatari officials, new indictment alleges

Scandal-plagued Sen. Bob Menendez was hit with fresh new allegations that a wealthy businessman buddy showered him with fancy gifts — including Formula One race tickets and a Patek Philippe w…

nypost.com

Bob Menendez hooked up bribe-paying NJ businessman with Qatari officials, new indictment alleges​

By
Social Links for Ryan King and
Social Links for Priscilla DeGregory



Published Jan. 2, 2024

Updated Jan. 2, 2024, 7:03 p.m. ET














Scandal-plagued Sen. Bob "Pumpkinhead" Menendez was hit with fresh new allegations that a wealthy businessman buddy showered him with fancy gifts — including Formula One race tickets and a Patek Philippe watch — in exchange for an investment deal with a Qatari real estate firm.
Menendez, 70, convinced the Middle Eastern government to induce a Doha-linked firm to sign on with Fred Daibes after the New Jersey developer plied the powerful Democrat with cash, gold bars, and even sent him a catalog of luxury Swiss watches, according to the superseding indictment filed on Tuesday.
“How about one of these,” Daibes casually suggested in an email that included images of the world-renowned designer watches.
The filing by Manhattan federal prosecutors, which does not include any new charges, extends the timeframe of the bribery allegations against the New Jersey Democrat into 2023 and adds Qatar to Egypt as countries for which Menendez allegedly went to bat to help his friends.
The senator and his wife Nadine were initially charged in September with taking bribes in the form of cash, gold bars and a Mercedes convertible in exchange for assisting Daibes and two other businessmen, Wael Hana and Jose Uribe.
Menendez was subsequently charged the following month with conspiring to act as an agent of the Cairo government, with requests for assistance relayed to the senator through his wife and Hana.
All five defendants have pleaded not guilty.
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Bob Menendez introduced a member of the Qatari royal family and principal in a company with ties to the government of Qatar to a New Jersey businessman, a new indictment alleged. AP
According to prosecutors, Daibes began paying Menendez in cash and gold bars to facilitate the Qatar deal in 2021. That June, Menendez allegedly introduced Daibes to the royal investor.
Later that summer, Menendez — then the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee — issued a statement in support of the Doha government as part of a shadow PR campaign on behalf of Daibes, investigators say.
On Aug. 20, 2021, Menendez publicly thanked Qatar for taking in refugees from Afghanistan amid the Biden administration’s cataclysmic withdrawal from that country.
“I am grateful to see our friends and allies in Qatar be moral exemplars by accepting Afghans ultimately seeking safe haven in the US after being forced to escape for their lives,” the statement read in part.
Shortly before the press release went out, Menendez allegedly messaged Daibes: “You might want to send them [the Qataris]. I am just about to release.” Daibes did just that, purportedly relaying the statement to the investor and another Qatari official.
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The senator and his wife Nadine were initially charged in September with taking bribes in the form of cash, gold bars and a Mercedes convertible in exchange for assisting Daibes and two other businessmen, Wael Hana and Jose Uribe. SDNY
The next month, Menendez and Daibes attended an event hosted by the Qatar government. Days after that, on Sept. 27, Daibes messaged the senator pictures of pricy wristwatches — including what appears to be a Swiss-made Patek Philippe.
The indictment does not say whether Menendez received any of the watches, but the very next day, the Foreign Relations Committee began work on a resolution publicly thanking Qatar for its help with the Afghanistan evacuation.
The measure was approved by the Senate in a voice vote the following May.
On Oct. 17, 2021, Menendez and his wife were given a ride from the airport by Daibes’ driver after returning from a trip to Egypt and Qatar, per the indictment.
The next day, the Garden State Democrat allegedly searched the internet for “how much is one kilo of gold worth.”
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Menendez was subsequently charged the following month with conspiring to act as an agent of the Cairo government, with requests for assistance relayed to the senator through his wife and Hana. US District Court
In May 2022, the company signed a letter of intent to do a deal with a firm controlled by Daibes, which came on the heels of a dinner meeting involving Menendez and Daibes and the Qataris, prosecutors alleged.
Afterward, Daibes allegedly gifted Menendez one gold bar. On May 26, 2022, Menendez and Daibes met for dinner and the senator later allegedly searched Google for “one kilo gold price.”
Weeks earlier, the indictment claims, the Qatari investor provided tickets to the Formula One Miami Grand Prix to a relative of Nadine Menendez at the senator’s request — a gesture that was repeated this past year. Qatar Airways is a chief sponsor of the racing circuit.
Ultimately, the Qatari company invested tens of millions of dollars in Daibes’ project in 2023.
“The government’s new allegations stink of desperation,” Menendez attorney Adam Fee said in a statement.
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According to prosecutors, Daibes began paying Menendez in cash and gold bars to facilitate the Qatar deal in 2021. AP
“Despite what they’ve touted in press releases, the government does not have the proof to back up any of the old or new allegations against Senator Menendez. What they have instead is a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his constituents or foreign officials. They are turning this into a persecution, not a prosecution.

“At all times, Senator Menendez acted entirely appropriately with respect to Qatar, Egypt, and the many other countries he routinely interacts with,” Fee added. “Those interactions were always based on his professional judgment as to the best interests of the United States because he is, and always has been, a patriot. This latest Indictment only exposes the lengths to which these hostile prosecutors will go to poison the public before a trial even begins. But these new allegations don’t change a thing, and their theories won’t survive the scrutiny of the court or a jury.”

Menendez has strenuously denied wrongdoing and resisted calls to resign, including from a majority of Senate Democrats and members of his own party in the Garden State.
Should he be convicted, the New Jersey Democrat could face up to 45 years in prison.
Menendez, who was first appointed to the Senate in 2006 and has been elected four times since, previously survived bribery charges on an unrelated matter in 2017 due to a hung jury.
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Menendez has strenuously denied wrongdoing and resisted calls to resign, including from a majority of Senate Democrats and members of his own party in the Garden State. AP


He has not revealed whether he intends on running for re-election, but would face a three-way primary fight with progressive Rep. Andy Kim and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy.
The trial in the case is slated to begin on May 6, though Menendez’s defense team has sought to push the case back until after the June 4 primary.