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Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was found guilty Tuesday of various crimes including bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent.
And, because it is a bad look to have a convicted felon in a high-ranking position in government, top Democrats immediately called on him to quit his day job, i.e., the one for which he gets taxpayer money, not the one for which he accepted gold bars as bribes.
“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said.
At no point during the trial had Schumer, or any other prominent Democrats, traveled to the courthouse to proclaim that Menendez was the victim of a witch hunt and a weaponized justice system.
A Manhattan jury found the senator guilty of having used his position as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to help the Egyptian government in a variety of ways. For example, he provided Egyptian officials with information about the staff of the American embassy in Cairo. Menendez also urged his fellow senators to lift a hold on a $300 million military aid package to the country.
During a raid of a home Menendez shared with his wife, who was also charged but has not yet stood trial, FBI agents found nearly half a million dollars in cash as well as gold bars.
Having this kind of loot in his home was a clear indication that the senator was guilty of the charges, according to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO).
“The Senator with stacks of cash and gold bars in his closet was found guilty. Shocker,” the GOP firebrand stated.
It was unclear if the FBI found this damning evidence near any bathrooms with golden toilets and chandeliers.
It does appear, however, that Boebert’s thinking on FBI agents finding damning evidence in the residences of politicians has evolved in the past couple of years.
“If you’re a Republican with any kind of voice, and not speaking up for President Trump tonight don’t expect any of us to speak up for you when your time comes,” she stated in 2022 following an FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago that discovered loads of classified documents. “You may not realize it yet, but they’re coming for all of us.”
Well, “they” certainly came for Menendez.
And, since being a convicted felon is usually bad for politicians, it appears that, even if the senator doesn’t resign, his chances for reelection later this year are doomed as Democratic voters are not enthusiastic about criminals in their ranks.
In June, they chose Rep. Andy Kim as the party’s Senate candidate in the upcoming election.
“I believe the only course of action for him is to resign his seat immediately,” Kim said Tuesday. “The people of New Jersey deserve better.”
After it became clear that he would not be the Democratic nominee, Menendez had stated that he wanted to run as an independent.
However, in light of today’s verdict, he may want to try becoming a Republican since the GOP treats convicted felons much better.
