US Senator Bob Menendez convicted on corruption charges
July 16, 2024
US Senator Bob Menendez was convicted Tuesday on all counts in his corruption trial. The charges included acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government and accepting gold and cash bribes from three US businessmen.
The jury in Manhattan federal court deliberated for more than 12 hours over three days before reaching a verdict. The trial lasted nine weeks.
The 70-year-old Menendez will be sentenced on October 29. "The total combined charges carry a maximum potential sentence of 222... years in prison," a spokesman for the Southern District of New York prosecutor's office said in a statement.
What was the case about?
The trial focused on what federal prosecutors called several overlapping bribery schemes. The Democratic senator for New Jersey and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, and payments on cars and mortgages from three businessmen who wanted his help.
In exchange for the bribes, Menendez helped steer millions of dollars in US military aid to Egypt, where one of the businessmen, Wael Hana, was connected to government officials, prosecutors said.
Menendez had pleaded not guilty to the charges. He did not testify at the trial, but insisted publicly that he was only doing his job as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
What is the reaction of the Democratic party?
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, called on Menendez to resign following the conviction.
"In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Schumer said in a statement.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, said the US Senate should vote to expel Menendez if he does not resign.
Speaking to reporters after his conviction, Menendez said he would appeal. When asked if he would resign, he did not respond.
The ruling comes four months before the US election. It could doom Menendez's chances of running for reelection as an independent.
dh/ab (AP, AFP, Reuters)