America is compromised. Our most powerful leaders aren’t even working for us.
And this U.S. Senator was exposed as a double agent working for this foreign enemy.
Ever since Afghanistan fell into the Taliban’s hands, Biden’s foreign policy has come under fire.
The Chinese have flown spy balloons over some of our most sensitive installations in America.
Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine.
And Hamas has committed atrocities in Israel.
All of this is to say that many Americans thought our enemies were somewhere else, a foreign entity threatening to wage war.
But, unfortunately, they’re right here at home.
Prosecutors filed new bribery charges against embattled Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Tuesday, accusing him of accepting cash and gold bars to assist the Qatari government.
Menendez accepted the bribes from a New Jersey real estate developer with the promise that he would “induce” a Qatari business to invest millions in one of the developer’s projects, according to U.S. Attorney Damien Williams in a 50-page superseding indictment.
The superseding indictment does not include any new accusations in addition to the four that Menendez is already facing for allegations that he supported the Egyptian government, but it does include the Qatar discovery and alleges that Menendez was involved in bribery actions as recently as 2023.
According to the accusation, Menendez allegedly prepared complimentary statements about Qatar in a press release and transmitted a copy of the remarks to the developer, Fred Daibes, using an encrypted messaging app.
Daibes allegedly subsequently forwarded the statements to a Qatari official, all while a Qatari investment firm was exploring a multimillion-dollar investment in Daibes’ project.
When Menendez sent the draft to Daibes, he allegedly wrote, “You might want to send to them. I am just about to release.”
Meanwhile, Daibes allegedly gave gold bars worth thousands of dollars to Menendez and his wife, Nadine, who is also charged in the indictment.
Among other accusations, Menendez privately encouraged Daibes and the Qatari company’s deal to move forward, attended a secret dinner with Qataris and Daibes, and requested four 2022 Formula One Grand Prix tickets from a Qatari official in the same month that the Qatari company signaled it would participate in the venture with Daibes.
According to the indictment, Menendez never mentioned any of the gifts or payments on his Senate disclosure forms.
Menendez, the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was initially charged in the fall with accepting bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to exploit his powerful political position to aid the Egyptian government.
He was forced to quit as chairman as a result of the charges, but he remains a member of the committee and has refused to resign from the Senate despite bipartisan requests from his colleagues.
He has pled not guilty to the accusations, and his trial is set to begin in May.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
