Senator Bob Menendez from New Jersey’s Eighth Congressional District has been found guilty of the 16 charges he faced. Menendez will be sentenced by a New York Court on October 29.
After the verdict was made public, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked Menendez to step down from his position as Senator. Another high-profile Democrat also asked Menendez to step down. New Jersey Governor Phil, Murphy joined fellow democrat Schumer in asking Menendez to leave the Senate.
The charges Menendez faced
Federal judges in New York accused Senator Bob Menendez of accepting millions in bribes. These bribes came in cash, gold ingots, and mortgage payments.
Bob Menendez was not the only high-profile individual involved in this case. Wael Hanna and Fred Daibes, two high-profile businessmen from New Jersey were also found guilty. This bribe conspiracy trespassed U.S. frontiers. The governments of Egypt and Qatar were also found guilty, given that they were the alleged subjects of political favors done by Menendez.
Senator Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez has also been accused of corruption. However, unlike her husband, she pleaded not guilty to all counts. She will be judged at another time, given that she is currently fighting a severe case of breast cancer.
Bob Menendez’s connection to Greece
As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez has been a close ally to Greece on U.S. soil. Senator Menendez repeatedly stated that he believed the destinies of Greece and the United States to be connected. He also viewed Greece as a strategic partner for the U.S. in the Balkans and the Middle East.
He has also described Greece and Cyprus as “Lynchpins of democracy” in the past. Menendez was a strong supporter of leveraging the so-called tripartite partnership of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel with the main objective of safeguarding peace and democracy in the region.
Menendez’s role in the U.S.-Greece Defense and Inter-parliamentary Partnership Act of 2021
As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez successfully included the bipartisan legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY22 (fiscal year).
This act aimed to increase U.S. support for Greece’s military modernization and increase cooperation between members of the tripartite partnership. This was done by encouraging Greece to make use of the European Recapitalization Program. The purpose of this was to encourage Greece to step away from Russian military equipment.
The act also authorized $1.8 million per year in International Military Education and Training assistance for Greece. This covers Greece from the 2022 fiscal year to 2026. Senator Bob Menendez was also one of the main advocates for the U.S. providing Greece with direct loans for the development of its military.
Crucially, Senator Menendez recognized the president’s authority to expedite the delivery of any future F-35 crafts ordered by Greece. This means that Menendez recognized the president’s ability to speed up the process and ensure the prompt delivery of F-35s to Greece.
