2y ago

Democratic Sen. Menendez says cash found in home was from his personal savings, not bribe proceeds

Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey defiantly pushed back against federal corruption charges on Monday, saying cash authorities found in his home was from his savings account and was on hand for emergencies, it wasn’t bribe proceeds.

He said he believed that he’d be exonerated and that prosecutors sometimes get the facts wrong.

“I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be the New Jersey’s senior senator,” Menendez said at Hudson County Community College’s campus in Union City, where he grew up. He did not respond to questions and did not address whether he will seek reelection next year.

Addressing allegations in the indictment unsealed Friday that authorities found cash stuffed in envelopes and clothing at his home, Menendez said the funds were draw from his personal savings account and stemmed his parents fear of confiscation of funds from their time in Cuba.

U.S. News @beehaw.org

Lee Duna @lemmy.nz

2y ago

Democratic Sen. Menendez rejects calls to resign and says cash found in home was not bribe proceeds

apnews.com /article/senator-bob-menendez-indictment-bribery-f0bce07879c45fb8783f1e61f6d867a3

18 comments

Yeah, I usually spread half a million of savings around the house. Safer than abank.Who does he think is buying this?
- And what better way to store them than to stuff them in envelopes and clothing?
- Chuck Schumer might not believe it, but he's still not holding this guy accountable
  
  Schumer does not need to make a public statement. Neither does Biden for that matter. They are not defending, so that's the message. It's up to the rule of law and the voters.
- I also enjoy making sure the DNA of those ~~bribing me~~ helping me distribute my "savings" around the house is on the cash
The “personal savings” stuffed into clothing, that also contained fingerprints and DNA of the people trying to buy him off.
Motherfucker was caught red handed LMAO
- Nuh-uh! His hands are just naturally fire engine red!
Is this where we circle the wagons and yell "witch hunt" while making every kind of excuse possible and accusing everyone who disagrees of being a pedo?
My copy of the Soros Guide to Globalism is still in the mail, so I need some direction on what do do in case of an egregious scandal. We can't just admit this guy is a corrupt shit bag and call for his ejection from Congress, right?
- We can’t just admit this guy is a corrupt shit bag and call for his ejection from Congress, right?
  Dem voters do a decent job of holding our politicians accountable...
  But the party leadership doesn't see it that way. The only time they go against a D is if they're a progressive and a threat to the status quo
  In Washington, however, where his party holds a bare Senate majority, some of Menendez’s Democratic colleagues have stopped short of urging him to give up his seat, notably Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, and Majority Whip Dick Durbin, of Illinois.
Yeah... I know people who do this. They are professional gamblers doing it to avoid reporting it as income to evade taxes. Sorry senator, no one is buying that there's a legitimate reason to be hoarding cash and gold at your home.
"They were medicinal gold bars, your honor, I use them for my joint pain"
This is the best summary I could come up with:
UNION CITY, N.J. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey defiantly pushed back against federal corruption charges on Monday, saying cash authorities found in his home was from his savings account and was on hand for emergencies, it wasn’t bribe proceeds.
“I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be the New Jersey’s senior senator,” Menendez said at Hudson County Community College’s campus in Union City, where he grew up.
He and his wife, Nadine Menendez, are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold and a luxury car from a trio of New Jersey businessmen for a variety of corrupt acts.
The indictment said Menendez used his clout to interfere in three criminal cases, pressured U.S. agriculture regulators to protect an associate’s business interests, and used his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee to influence U.S. policy on Egypt.
Prosecutors say he met with Egyptian military and intelligence officials, passed along non-public information about employees at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and ghostwrote a letter on behalf of Egypt asking his Senate colleagues to release a hold on $300 million worth of aid.
Federal agents who searched his home in 2022 found more than $480,00 in cash stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe, and gold bars worth more than $100,000, prosecutors said.
The original article contains 512 words, the summary contains 256 words. Saved 50%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

18 comments