Crooked Dem Senator Hit With More Crazy Criminal Charges
A federal grand jury has filed a second superseding indictment against Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, following previous allegations of accepting bribes.
The new indictment contains additional charges, alleging that Menendez made positive statements about Qatar to help a New Jersey developer secure a lucrative investment from a company tied to the country. The developer cited in the indictment has also been charged in the case.
According to court documents, during the late months of 2021 and early 2022, Menendez allegedly made a number of supportive statements about Qatar. These statements were intended to help the developer, Fred Daibes, secure an investment from the Qatari Investment Company. Prosecutors claim that Menendez provided these statements so that Daibes could share them with both the Qatari Investor and a Qatari government official associated with the company.
The indictment also alleges that Menendez and Daibes exchanged text messages about the alleged scheme. In September 2021, Daibes reportedly sent Menendez photos of luxury watches valued between $9,990 and $23,990 and asked the senator "how about one of those?" These messages were sent via an encrypted app, the indictment says.
Adam Fee, a lawyer for Menendez, has strongly denied these allegations, stating that they "stink of desperation." He argues that prosecutors have based their case on "baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures" and that Menendez's interactions with constituents and foreign officials were routine and lawful. He also accuses prosecutors of turning this into a "persecution, not a prosecution."
Menendez and Daibes have both pleaded not guilty to the charges. The senator was initially indicted in September on charges of accepting "cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other items of value" in exchange for political favors. The new indictment includes these charges, along with the additional allegations relating to Qatar.
The indictment also reveals that federal investigators reviewed Menendez's web searches after he returned from a trip to Qatar in October 2021. They allege that Menendez searched for "how much is one kilo of gold worth" during this time. The senator also reportedly introduced Daibes to a member of the Qatari royal family and facilitated a meeting between them, leading to a multimillion-dollar investment in Daibes' project.
BREAKING: New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez is facing new federal criminal charges that allege he made positive comments about Qatar in exchange for things of value, including luxury watches valued at over $10,000 pic.twitter.com/IXU9B71Xlb
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 2, 2024
In 2023, the Qatari Investment Company entered into a joint venture with one of Daibes' companies and invested tens of millions of dollars into the project, according to the indictment. Menendez allegedly continued to receive perks from the Qatari company, including tickets to the 2023 Formula One Grand Prix in Miami. The indictment also notes that a search of Menendez's home in 2022 turned up gold bars previously owned by Daibes.
The new allegations against Menendez have been incorporated into the existing charges against him, including conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. A superseding indictment in October also alleged that Menendez provided "sensitive U.S. Government information" and secretly aided the Government of Egypt. Menendez has denied these allegations, stating that they contradict his record of standing up for human rights and democracy in Egypt.
Menendez temporarily stepped down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the initial charges were filed but remains on the committee. However, more than two dozen Senate Democrats, including fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, have called on Menendez to resign from Congress. The senator's lawyers have stated that he has always acted appropriately regarding his interactions with Qatar, Egypt, and other countries, based on his professional judgment and the best interests of the United States. The case against Menendez is ongoing, and he will continue to defend himself against these allegations.