The FBI indictment alleges that Senator Robert Menendez and his wife Nadine used his position as a senator to benefit the Egyptian government. At the couple’s home, the FBI found more than $480,000 in cash, $100,000 worth of gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible that had been given to his wife.
Menendez denied the allegations, saying prosecutors had “misrepresented” his normal work in the Senate and created a false impression of impropriety. You have to do it! What a nerve!
He has been the subject of federal corruption investigations for much of his career in the Senate, to which he was elected in 2006. He escaped from prison in 2018 after his final charges because the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict. Prosecutors had alleged that he helped the key campaign aide evade federal regulations. It’s surprising that Democrats re-elected this man who had been suspected of being a crook for nearly 20 years.
Older politician meets seductress
An older man meets a younger seductress who isn’t afraid to show off her physical assets. Menedez is not the first politician to be manipulated by a woman. I suspect she “surrendered” to him on command. Their meeting in a creperie was undoubtedly no coincidence.
Nadine Arslanian probably met him at the request of her “good Egyptian friends” who knew the senator’s weaknesses. One might think that a politician who has already been acquitted in a bribery case would not get involved in such a case. Even with a seductive new woman. His greed and libido overwhelmed him.
In 2018, he began dating 56-year-old Nadine Arslanian, who was unemployed at the time. She introduced him to Egyptian-American businessman Wael Hana, who had high-level connections in Cairo.
Menendez, 69, is accused of using his Senate office to promote U.S. arms sales to Egypt and trying to obstruct his wife’s help in a criminal investigation into Hana’s business partners. According to the New York Times, he put Menendez’s wife on the payroll of his halal meat company.
Secret State Department information about the U.S. Embassy in Cairo was also passed on to Egyptian intelligence through Hana.
For the services provided, the Egyptian government granted Hana’s company a very lucrative monopoly on certifying American food exports to Egypt as compliant with Islamic Halal law. Even if she had no experience in this matter.
Corruption plagues the United States
Will, can the FBI investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife? There are glaring irregularities in her statements about her relationships with billionaires. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was recently acquitted by the Republican-dominated state Senate. Despite engaging in corrupt activities for almost twelve years. He’s now back “working” as Attorney General of Texas! And I’m not talking about Donald Trump.
The political consequences of the scandal
Menendez resigned as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Friday. New Jersey’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy called on Menendez to resign from the Senate. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, must act quickly against Menendez. He seems hesitant about this. However, there is a risk of being splashed. He has to vote on it next week. A two-thirds majority is required to expel someone from the upper house.
I am amazed that a politician who has already been accused of corruption behaved like an amateur and left so many incriminating clues for the FBI. That is love! It will be interesting to see if he can get away with blaming his wife.
