Sunday, September 24, 2023

The Menendez Indictment

 



The unsealed 39- page indictment of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, his wife and three others reads like a novelette of bald- faced greed and corruption.  Some excerpts:

In or about June 2022, federal agents executed search warrants on the New Jersey home and the safe deposit box of ROBERT MENENDEZ and NADINE MENENDEZ, a/k/a “Nadine Arslanian,” the defendants. In conducting these court-authorized searches, agents found certain of the fruits of MENENDEZ’s and NADINE MENENDEZ’s corrupt bribery agreement with WAEL HANA, a/k/a “Will Hana,” JOSE URIBE, and FRED DAIBES, the defendants, including cash, gold, the luxury vehicle, and home furnishings. Over $480,000 in cash—much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe—was discovered in the home, along with over $70,000 in NADINE MENENDEZ’s safe deposit box...

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In or about early 2018, NADINE MENENDEZ, a/k/a “Nadine Arslanian,” the defendant, informed WAEL HANA, a/k/a “Will Hana,” the defendant, that she was dating ROBERT MENENDEZ, the defendant. In the following months and years, HANA and NADINE MENENDEZ worked to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to MENENDEZ for the purpose of establishing and solidifying a corrupt agreement in which HANA, with assistance from FRED DAIBES and JOSE URIBE, the defendants, provided hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes to MENENDEZ and NADINE MENENDEZ, in exchange for MENENDEZ’s acts and breaches of duty to benefit the Government of Egypt, HANA, and others, including with respect to foreign military sales and foreign military financing...

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In or about 2018, shortly after ROBERT MENENDEZ and NADINE MENENDEZ, a/k/a “Nadine Arslanian,” the defendants, began dating, WAEL HANA, a/k/a “Will Hana,” the defendant, and NADINE MENENDEZ arranged a series of meetings and dinners with MENENDEZ—paid for by HANA or his associates—at which Egyptian officials raised, among other things, requests related to foreign military sales and foreign military financing. In exchange for MENENDEZ’s and NADINE MENENDEZ’s promise that MENENDEZ would, among other things, use his power and authority to facilitate such sales and financing to Egypt, HANA promised, among other things, to put NADINE MENENDEZ on the payroll of his company in a low-or-no-show job...

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d. On or about April 4, 2019, NADINE MENENDEZ left MENENDEZ a voicemail saying that she was going “to meet Jose for five minutes” and then met URIBE in the parking lot of a restaurant where URIBE provided NADINE MENENDEZ with approximately $15,000 in cash. 

e. The next day, NADINE MENENDEZ purchased the Mercedes-Benz Convertible, making a $15,000 down payment with a combination of cash, a credit card, and 23 several checks, and taking out an automotive loan to finance the remainder of the approximately $60,000 purchase price. A number of the statements NADINE MENENDEZ made on the application in order to secure the loan financing were false, including statements about her employment and income. After the purchase was complete, NADINE MENENDEZ messaged MENENDEZ, “Congratulations mon amour de la vie, we are the proud owners of a 2019 Mercedes. ���.” Later that day, after URIBE asked her, “are you happy?,” NADINE MENENDEZ responded, “I will never forget this.”...

We bet you won't forget it.

The indictment goes into great detail on the sordid transactions and quid pro quos that the Menendez's arranged.  If this litany of corruption and selling out your constituents and your country for some cash, gold and a luxury car doesn't make you sick, we don't know what would.

In response, Sen. Menendez has said, "I am not going anywhere," and attempted to play the "they're out to get me 'cause I'm Latino" card, to which the response should be, "Dimite, culo corrupto!"

Meanwhile, resign or not, he's getting a quality Democratic primary opponent in Rep. Andy Kim.  Remember him?

That's Rep. Kim cleaning up in the Capitol Rotunda after the MAGAt insurrection.  

Does New Jersey want a public servant or public scoundrel?

(Photo:  the high times are coming to an end for Menendez Criminal Enterprise, Inc. / NJ Advance Media)