Federal agents discovered a significant amount of cash and gold bars during a search of Senator Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) residence, as part of an ongoing corruption investigation that has once again implicated the New Jersey liberal. This incident is not the first legal dispute for Menendez, who previously faced allegations of impropriety stemming from his association with Florida donor Salomon Melgen in 2013. Although formally indicted in 2015, Menendez managed to avoid conviction.
In 2023, the evidence appears much more substantial as it was found throughout his residence. We mentioned the presence of gold bars, as well as $480,000 in cash scattered throughout the premises, some of which were cleverly concealed within articles of clothing. Democrats are deeply concerned, with several members of Menendez’s own party demanding the resignation of Gold Bar Bob, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). In response, Menendez has resorted to accusing everyone of racism (as reported by CBS News):
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York became the latest Democratic lawmaker to call for the resignation of New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez after his indictment on federal bribery charges, saying he should step down over the “extremely serious” allegations.
“I think the situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe that it is in the best interest for Sen. Menendez to resign in this moment,” Ocasio-Cortez told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan on Sunday. “Consistency matters. It shouldn’t matter if it’s a Republican or a Democrat. The details in this indictment are extremely serious. They involve the nature of not just his but all of our seats in Congress.”
An indictment unsealed on Friday charged Menendez, his wife and three New Jersey business associates with various crimes related to an alleged bribery scheme. Prosecutors said the Menendezes received hundreds of thousands of dollars and lavish luxury gifts in exchange for the senator wielding his influence to benefit the businessmen and the government of Egypt.
Menendez, a Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2006, vigorously defended himself after the indictment was made public, saying the “baseless” charges were part of an “active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.”
A wave of Democratic lawmakers and New Jersey officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy, soon began calling for Menendez to step aside as the legal process unfolds. Menendez rejected those calls out of hand, saying he is “not going anywhere.” He added that it was “not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat.”
Bob Menendez responds to calls for him to resign amid his corruption charges. “It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.” pic.twitter.com/jN84DCna37
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 22, 2023
It comes as no surprise that Bob isn’t going to step down – he made his intentions clear when news of his indictment broke last week. Today, he officially announces his bid for re-election, as reported by the NY Post:
Embattled Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey is expected to defiantly announce Monday that he will seek re-election — less than a week after being indicted on explosive corruption charges.
The 69-year-old Democrat issued a statement Friday, the day of his Manhattan federal indictment, insisting, “I’m not going anywhere” — despite widespread calls including from top officials in his own party to resign.
The Democrats are railing against former President Trump and now one of their own is refusing to step down after it has been alleged he took gold bars for bribes.
