Senator Robert Menendez Faces Serious Corruption Allegations

A Powerful Democratic Senator on the Brink of Scandal

In a state long attuned to the drumbeat of political corruption — salacious charges, furious denials, explosive trials — Senator Robert Menendez has often registered as the quintessential New Jersey politician.

He successfully avoided charges in one case, and after federal prosecutors indicted him in another, he got off after a mistrial in 2017.

A New Indictment and Defiant Response

Six years later, he is once again on the brink, battling for his political life after federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed a jarring new indictment on Friday charging the powerful Democratic senator and his wife in a garish bribery scheme involving a foreign power, piles of cash and gold bars.

A defiant Mr. Menendez, 69, immediately vowed to clear his name from what he cast as just more smears by vengeful prosecutors.

Calls for Resignation and Potential Primary Challengers

By Saturday afternoon, nearly every major Democratic figure in the state had called on him to resign, including the governor, senior members of Congress, and influential state and county party chairmen.

Party strategists and elected officials were already openly speculating that one or more of a group of ambitious, young Democrats representing the state in Congress could mount a primary campaign against him.

Political Ramifications and Electoral Stakes

The electoral stakes were high, and not just for Mr. Menendez.

Though he had yet to formally answer the charges in court, some party strategists were gauging the possibility that Mr. Menendez could be scheduled to stand trial in the middle of the campaign — an unwelcome distraction for Democratic candidates across the nation.

Support and Opposition Among Colleagues

For now, Mr. Menendez appeared to be on firmer footing among his colleagues in the Senate, notably including Senator Cory Booker, his fellow New Jersey Democrat, who had not commented publicly.

They accepted his temporary resignation as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but did not ask him to leave office.

The Impact on the Democratic Party

Democrats have not lost a Senate race in New Jersey since the 1970s.

But allowing Mr. Menendez to stay in office could at the least force the party to spend heavily there at a time when it faces daunting odds of retaining a razor-thin majority.

A History of Corruption in New Jersey

Mr. Menendez is far from the first elected official in New Jersey to face serious criminal allegations.

With a long tradition of one-party rule, a bare-knuckle political culture, and an unusual patchwork of governmental fiefs, the state has been a hotbed for corruption that has felled city councilors, mayors, state legislators, and members of Congress.

Potential Challengers and the Future

New Jersey has a glut of Democratic members of Congress with outsize national profiles; it took barely minutes on Friday for the state’s political class to begin speculating about who might step forward.

Among the most prominent were Ms. Sherrill, 51, and Josh Gottheimer, 48, moderates who were already said to be looking at statewide campaigns for governor in 2025, when Mr. Murphy cannot run because of term limits.

A Long Political Career Under Scrutiny

Mr. Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, was elected to his first local office at age 20.

He won the mayoralty of Union City, before moving onto the State Assembly, the Senate, the House of Representatives and, in 2006, an appointment to the Senate.

Sources:
The New York Times,
The Washington Post

Read More of this Story at www.nytimes.com – 2023-09-23 17:41:15

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