Guilty As Sin!

Convicted felon.

Winners and losers of 2024.

Independent senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey was found guilty in federal court. Now the Democratic Caucus which he has a role in is calling for him to resign or face expulsion.

The 12-member jury found Menendez guilty on all 16 counts after a two-month trial on charges that all but ended his political career. Federal prosecutors accused Menendez of bribery, acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, obstruction of justice, extortion and conspiring to commit those crimes.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Gov. Phil Murphy have personally called Menendez and told him to step aside.

Menendez was largely expressionless as the guilty verdicts were read. His attorney Avi Weitzman patted him on the back at one point.

“I am deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision. I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal,” Menendez told reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday. “I have never violated my public oath.”

Menendez is seeking reelection to the Senate as an independent, although the guilty verdicts quickly raise the prospect of an expulsion vote unless he opts to resign from office. He’s already faced calls to resign from his former Democratic allies in New Jersey and on Capitol Hill.

It is now up to U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein to determine the 70-year-old Menendez’s sentence, scheduled for Oct. 29. He faces decades in prison.

Federal prosecutors in New York announced the bombshell indictment against Menendez last fall, describing a yearslong bribery scheme involving Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez and three New Jersey businesspeople. The alleged bribes began flowing shortly after the senator’s 2017 corruption trial ended in a hung jury. Two of the businesspeople — Wael “Will” Hana and Fred Daibes — were also found guilty, while the third, Jose Uribe, made a plea deal and testified against Menendez.

Daibes, when asked by reporters how he felt after the verdict, said “not good.” Hana declined to comment but his attorney Lawrence Lustberg said the verdict was not “consistent with the facts, the law or justice.”

“I don’t think the evidence supports that there was a quid pro quo,” he said. “I don’t think the evidence supports that there were official acts within the meaning of the statute. I do not think that this verdict will stand up to scrutiny in post-trial proceedings and on appeal.”

Prosecutors described Menendez as a “senator on the take” who used his power and influence to benefit his associates and the governments of Egypt and Qatar in exchange for cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz for Nadine, who was also charged but did not stand trial because of a cancer diagnosis.

Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that “this case has always been about shocking levels of corruption.” He added: “This wasn’t politics as usual. It was politics for profit.”

Menendez adamantly denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty. He resisted calls to resign and suggested he was being targeted because of his Cuban background, then later said that prosecutors were “hunting” him like “prey.”

Immediately after the verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Menendez to step down.

“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said in a brief statement.

Should Menendez’s Senate seat be vacated before his term expires early next year, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy will appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of his term. He reiterated his call for Menendez to step down and, if not, urged the Senate to vote to expel him so he could appoint a successor.

Rep. Andy Kim is the Democratic nominee for the full Senate term and is favored to win in November. He called it “a sad and somber day for New Jersey and our country.”

“I called on Senator Menendez to step down when these charges were first made public, and now that he has been found guilty, I believe the only course of action for him is to resign his seat immediately,” Kim said in a statement. “The people of New Jersey deserve better.”

You see the difference between Democrats and Republicans. 

Democrats hold members of their own party accountable. Republicans embrace theirs.

Donald J. Trump was convicted in New York court of falsifying business records in regards to Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen. Thanks to the Supreme Court, Trump now can claim he has immunity from criminal charges and is seeking to have his conviction overturned. He is also trying to get his state charges in Georgia and federal court dropped.

Alieen Cannon, U.S. District Judge of South Florida dismissed the stolen classified documents indictments against Trump.

The Supreme Court also allowed Trump to appear on the U.S. primary and general election ballot despite his role in the insurrection on Jan. 6.