John Fetterman Responds to New Federal Charges Against Bob Menendez and It's Just What You'd Expect

The politicodrama surrounding Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) just got even more spicy. The lawmaker and his wife Nadine are already facing a slew of serious charges related to bribery and using his position to benefit a foreign government.

Now, the Menendez’s are facing a new charge: Obstruction of justice.

The charges, announced on Tuesday, have added to the pile of legal woes the senator faces. Now, the total number has reached a whopping 18 for the former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The obstruction charge is related to allegations that the couple tried to hamper the ongoing investigation into the bribery issue by misleading investigators about the nature of certain transactions.

The new indictment comes just days after one of Menendez’s co-defendants in the case, New Jersey businessman Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the probe.
The document cites a meeting Nadine Menendez had with Uribe in 2022 after federal investigators had issued subpoenas seeking information about payments he’d made on a luxury car for her, which prosecutors said was part of the bribery scheme. She asked Uribe what he’d tell investigators and he said he’d tell them it was a loan, the filing says. She told him that “sounded good,” according to the indictment.
The indictment said the senator first had his lawyer tell investigators that he was unaware of the car payments or mortgage payments from another businessman that prosecutors said was also part of the bribery scheme. He later had his attorney tell investigators he’d found out they had been loans, the indictment said, when he “well knew” that they “were not loans, but bribe payments.”
In a statement Tuesday, the senator called the new charges “a flagrant abuse of power.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), one of Menendez's loudest critics, commented on the news, referring to the New Jersey senator as a "sleazeball."

Fetterman on the new Menendez changes: “He’s an epic sleazeball... So sleazeballs gonna sleazeball.”

He says senators have decided they want to keep Menendez around, but that it won’t be for long. “I dare him to run for re-election.” https://t.co/FQZUCpcdbI
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 5, 2024

This isn't the first time Fetterman has gone after Menendez. When the indictments against him were first announced, he demanded that Menendez resign. He even went so far as to push for the Senate to remove him from office. However, Senate Democrats balked at the idea, arguing that they should wait until Menendez's trial is concluded before taking action.

Jose Uribe’s plea deal could create even more trouble for Menendez as he is now cooperating with federal authorities.

Appearing at a federal court in New Jersey on Friday, Menendez co-defendant and businessman Jose Uribe pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit bribery, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion, according to court filings.
As part of the plea deal, Uribe must “truthfully and completely disclose all information with respect to the activities of himself and others concerning all matters about which this Office inquires of him, which information can be used for any purpose.”

The other charges against Menendez allege that he and his wife accepted bribes from three businessmen in the form of cash, gold bars, a luxury vehicle, and other benefits. In exchange, the lawmaker allegedly used his position to grant favors to these individuals while also helping the Egyptian government. He is also facing prosecution for acting as an agent for a foreign government without registering.

The most recent indictment paints a picture of a concerted effort on the part of the couple to cover their tracks once federal authorities began investigating them. While the lawmaker has denied all the charges and declared that he is still running for reelection, the Justice Department’s case against the senator continues to move forward.

The trial is set to begin in May in Manhattan’s federal court. The lawmaker could be facing decades in prison if convicted of each charge. If the allegations are proven true, it will confirm Fetterman's assessment of Menendez as a "sleazeball."