Newsmax: Menendez Indictment Deemed ‘Buttoned Up’ by Whitaker

The indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife on bribery charges is “pretty strong,” former U.S. acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax.

“This is a case where Sen. Menendez, I think, has finally come up against a case that’s pretty strong,” Whitaker said Friday during an appearance “NewsLine.” “You know, reading the indictment, I mean, they have this buttoned up.

“The allegations are very clear. Last time he was able to suggest that the money he was receiving was from a friend and you know, was part of that friendship. And ultimately, I think this one is pretty clear that this money is coming from people that wanted his official action. This is a very clear case of not only a crime but also an impeachable offense.”

Menendez, the powerful Democrat chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was charged Friday with violating corruption and bribery laws, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court Friday.

He and his wife, Nadine, are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Prosecutors say they accepted gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, a luxury vehicle and envelopes of cash from three New Jersey businessman to secretly aid the Egyptian government.

His “leadership position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (the “SFRC”), first as the Ranking Member and then the Chairman” allowed him to peddle influence in these areas, the 39-page indictment says.

The pair each face three criminal counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.

In a lengthy statement, Menendez denied any wrongdoing and said “forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave.”

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