New Jersey Democratic senator Robert Menendez has long been dogged by allegations that he is sleazy and in an earlier federal trial in 2017 for corruption he avoided conviction because a hung jury resulted in a mistrial. So it was not a surprise when an FBI raid on his home was conducted to find evidence of corruption. What did surprise me was what they found.
Gold bars worth more than $100,000. A new Mercedes-Benz convertible in the garage. Wads of cash stuffed in the pockets of a jacket with “Bob Menendez” embroidered on the breast.
…Nearly half a million dollars in cash was found stuffed inside envelopes and stashed inside the pockets of clothing hanging in the closets of the Menendez’s home in Englewood Cliffs, including a big roll of bills in a jacket from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus with Menendez’s name on it.
Fingerprints belonging to the driver of co-defendant Fred Daibes were found on at least one of the envelopes, as well as his DNA and his return address, prosecutors said. “Thank you,” Nadine Menendez texted Daibes around Jan. 24, 2022, according to the indictment. “Christmas in January.”
Patrice Schiano, a former FBI forensic accountant who is currently a lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that’s “pretty damning.”
Today, Menendez defiantly addressed the press and his explanation of why he had these things was a doozy, that he is just an old-fashioned guy who does not trust these new-fangled things like banks and believes that you need to keep your money close to you in case of some kind of apocalpyse.
In his press conference, the senator addressed the money. “For 30 years, I have withdrawn 1000s of dollars in cash from my personal savings accounts, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba,” said Menendez, whose parents are from the island.
“Now this may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings accounts based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years. I look forward to addressing other issues in trial.”
So what exactly was he afraid of? The collapse of the banking system in the US? And how exactly are gold bars helpful in an emergency where you need to pay some urgent bills and the banks are closed, unless the emergency is that you need to flee the country?
In the 2017 trial, the evidence was less dramatic.
Prosecutors say 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.
Given their failure to get a conviction previously I suspect that the FBI would be determined to make sure that they have a much stronger case this time and had, before they raided the Menendez home, already explored the possibility that all this money came from his own savings accounts.
The trial should be interesting. I look forward to other tips from the Menendez couple in the days to come about how to keep one’s money safe.
I saw someplace yesterday a claim that Senator M had recently searched online for “how much is a kilo(?) of gold worth?”
IF that’s accurate, it raises more questions for me about internet privacy than about Menendez’s monkeyshines.
He is stupid. How did he even think he could get away with the dumb stuff he did especially after he was tried for it once. I have no idea why he didn’t just stick to the legal corruption the rest of the senate does by getting a job after serving for tons of money in the industries he voted to help while in the senate.
I have to take issue with the reports of what the FBI seized from the Menendez home. History, especially recently, has shown just how freely the FBI lies and exaggerates to the public. I won’t believe anything they say until it’s included in a sworn document filed with the court, and conceded by the defense. Police lie like this routinely, as it sets the narrative, and tends to keep up the public image.
TGAP Dad @#3,
I am with you on the need to be skeptical about initial police statements about any incident and have said so many times. But in this case, Menendez did not seem to contradict the reports of what was found.
“Now this may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings accounts based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years…”
Well, that’ll be easy to verify just by pulling all his financial records, matching cash in house to withdrawals from bank accounts, and tracing the origin of all the money found in his accounts.
And following on to TGAP Dad’s concerns, Menendez is a Democrat, so we’re likely to hear lots of hype, spin and outright lies from the GQP as well as the FBI.
How did he even think he could get away with the dumb stuff he did especially after he was tried for it once.
I’m guessing a) he’s getting old, obstinate, and set in his ways; and b) “Other people get away with it, why can’t I?”
Raging Bee @5:
Yes, and they will be quoted voluminously by the TV “news” shows comparing that with Menedez’ stupid argument, all in the pretense of “presenting both sides.” They will likely not explain how the two “sides” differ (although they might state briefly that other Democrats are calling for Menedez to resign).
To be perfectly honest, I really can’t blame Menendez for wanting to hang on. He — like the rest of us — sees Republicans being accused, and even sometimes convicted, of equal or worse offenses, and brushing them off with absolutely no consequences and no blowback from within their own party. So part of me really wants Menendez to stand up and say something like “I’ll resign if sex-trafficker Matt Gaetz resigns.”
It’s ridiculous the misdirection regarding the money. Sure, he has some money and good but there are people attesting to the payoff. It’s the payoff that matters.
If you want to see a place that has gone full fascist, look no further than Missouri.
And unlike New Jersey, there is no “holding people to account “.