Inside the downfall of a senator who operated in ‘shades of gray’

Over nan years, Bob Menendez gained a estimation arsenic New Jersey’s eventual governmental survivor. On Tuesday, his endurance ran out.

The conviction of nan Democratic senator connected 16 counts successful a sweeping bribery lawsuit comes astir 7 years aft he hit anterior corruption charges acknowledgment to a hung assemblage — and 18 years aft different national investigation ended without charges.

When Menendez walked retired of tribunal pursuing his 2017 mistrial, he ominously warned nan Democrats who were “digging my governmental grave” that he would not hide them. On Tuesday, he vowed to support fighting for his freedom, declaring “the rule and nan facts did not sustain” his conviction. He’s already moving for reelection arsenic an independent.

But this isn’t 2017. Menendez’s governmental profession has been dormant and buried since his indictment successful September, erstwhile his statement abandoned him and Rep. Andy Kim launched a winning superior bid to switch Menendez. In nan ensuing months, New Jersey’s governmental strategy efficaciously collapsed, pinch Democrats upending nan measurement they’ve done business successful nan authorities for decades. Just past month, a authorities expansive assemblage indicted New Jersey’s astir powerful Democratic governmental boss, George Norcross, connected charges he led a different corruption scheme.

Now Menendez, who has virtually nary chance of winning reelection arsenic an independent successful nan deep-blue state, is staring astatine nan ruins of a 50-year governmental profession and nan imaginable of decades successful prison.

It was a spectacular downfall that, contempt nan two-month-long proceedings and mountains of damning evidence, still evinced a measurement of daze from New Jersey politicos utilized to seeing nan legislator past national investigations and prosecutions — each while accumulating powerfulness successful nan Senate and gaining a estimation arsenic a argumentation wonk.

Menendez, nan 70-year-old boy of working-class Cuban immigrants, wasn’t ever loved by each of his chap New Jersey Democrats. But his governmental acumen was universally respected — and feared. His power peaked arsenic chair of nan Senate Committee connected Foreign Relations, a position he held while taking bribes successful speech for favors to use nan governments of Egypt and Qatar.

“For his full career, he’s operated successful shades of grey person to black,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democratic campaigner for politician successful 2025. “Every measurement of nan measurement he’s operated successful a questionable mode while astatine nan aforesaid clip being highly well-versed successful policy, very smart successful his politics, and astatine nan aforesaid clip having a earthy guidelines successful nan Latino community.”

Even Fulop — who began his governmental profession successful 2004 pinch a hopeless superior run against Menendez, past a personnel of nan House — credited nan legislator pinch getting important things done for New Jersey, for illustration advocating for a ray obstruction that “transformed” nationalist transit successful his location guidelines of Hudson County, conscionable crossed nan Hudson River from Manhattan.

Julie Roginsky, a Democratic consultant, said Menendez’s downfall is tragic considering his grounds and what he represented to many.

“I don’t cognize if disbelief is nan word. It’s tremendous sadness,” Roginsky said of nan conviction. “He’s an incredibly effective senator, a trailblazer for nan Latino community, and a throwback to nan days erstwhile personification attained nan highest offices successful nan authorities by climbing their measurement up nan ladder and not by purchasing a seat.”

For decades, Menendez instilled a operation of reverence and fearfulness successful chap Democrats.

During that 2017 corruption proceedings successful Newark, salient Democrat aft salient Democrat showed up to tribunal to watch nan proceedings, signaling their support for nan senator, who appeared to return relationship of nan fewer who didn’t show. Even a bipartisan duo of Senate colleagues, New Jersey’s Cory Booker and South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, took nan guidelines arsenic characteristic witnesses.

The latest lawsuit against him was a stark contrast. Elected officials avoided Menendez’s first nationalist quality pursuing his September indictment and didn’t be his proceedings successful little Manhattan.

Nevertheless, nan stench of corruption astir Menendez wasn’t capable to derail nan profession of his son, Rep. Rob Menendez, whose 2022 governmental emergence from comparative obscurity was engineered by his father. Most of New Jersey’s Democratic constitution stuck pinch nan younger Menendez successful his successful superior reelection tally against Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

Reformer to defendant

Menendez was shaped by New Jersey’s boss-driven governmental strategy overmuch nan measurement he would later style it.

“He’s a feline who grew up successful a corrupt strategy and figured retired really to navigate it, and it yet caught up pinch him. I deliberation that’s what his bequest is going to be,” said Chris Russell, a Republican advisor who worked connected nan 2018 run against Menendez.

Born to blue-collar Cuban immigrants who fled during nan Fulgencio Batista regime, Menendez was raised successful a tenement successful Union City, a one-square mile, highly densely populated municipality pinch a large Hispanic population.

His first run was 50 years ago: For Union City schoolhouse board, erstwhile he was a protege of nan city’s politician and powerful governmental boss, William Musto. Later, aft being appointed committee secretary, Menendez, alleging corruption, collapsed pinch Musto and would later attest astatine his benefactor’s corruption proceedings successful 1982. He donned a bulletproof vest — a communicative he would show passim his governmental emergence to boost his credibility arsenic a reformer.

Menendez was elected politician of Union City successful 1986, a position he continued to clasp aft he was elected to nan authorities Assembly and past nan authorities Senate. He won a spot successful nan U.S. House successful 1992 and became a statewide fig pinch his assignment to nan Senate by Gov. Jon Corzine astatine nan opening of 2006.

Corruption allegations and rumors soon haunted Menendez. During his run for a afloat first term, then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie subpoenaed records related to Menendez and a nonprofit, North Hudson Community Action Corp., that complete a nine-year play paid nan legislator astir $300,000 to rent agency abstraction successful a Union City location he owned. Menendez, arsenic a House member, had helped nan nonprofit unafraid national grants.

Menendez won a afloat word during nan 2006 Democratic activity and nan investigation died down, pinch galore Democrats arguing Christie had gone aft Menendez to boost his ain governmental profession aliases to please nan Bush administration. A twelvemonth earlier his 2012 reelection campaign, Menendez showed disconnected a clearance missive from national prosecutors stating that nan lawsuit was formally closed. But conscionable a twelvemonth later, national prosecutors began looking astatine Menendez again, this clip regarding his narration pinch able Florida oculus expert Salomon Melgen.

Menendez’s first indictment dropped successful 2015. Prosecutors accused him of blocking a U.S. aid of information screening instrumentality to nan Dominican Republic to use a institution owned by Melgen, and interceding connected Melgen’s behalf connected a multimillion-dollar Medicare dispute, among different things. Melgen, they alleged, successful move provided Menendez pinch millions of dollars successful run contributions, backstage pitchy flights and Dominican villa stays.

Menendez ne'er disputed that he did favors for Melgen. But his ineligible squad successfully based on successful tribunal that nan favors were not successful speech for gifts, but retired of friendship. The assemblage deadlocked connected each counts, pinch astir favoring acquittal. The judge declared a mistrial.

Still, nan lawsuit wounded Menendez — ne'er spectacularly celebrated pinch voters successful New Jersey — successful nan polls, and it ended conscionable a twelvemonth earlier his 2018 reelection campaign. But, erstwhile again, it was a Democratic activity year, and Menendez managed an 11-point triumph complete Republican force Bob Hugin, who put tens of millions of dollars of his ain money into his campaign.

The adjacent telephone did not cattle nan senator. In their 2023 indictment, prosecutors successful this latest lawsuit charged that Menendez and his wife, Nadine — a codefendant whose proceedings has been delayed owed to her bosom crab test and curen — began hatching a strategy successful 2018 to judge bribes. In exchange, prosecutors alleged, they did favors for 2 different co-defendants, 1 pinch ties to nan Egyptian government, and a cooperating witness.

“The arrogance went to his head. He thought he was truthful powerful and truthful important that he believed his ain PR,” said Hugin, who besides grew up successful Union City and knew Menendez erstwhile nan 2 served arsenic student representatives connected its schoolhouse board. Hugin now chairs nan New Jersey Republican State Committee.

What’s next

Senate Democrats person yet to opportunity whether they’ll activity to expel Menendez but had resisted calls to do truthful earlier his conviction. Shortly aft nan assemblage publication nan verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called connected Menendez to resign, joining much than half of Senate Democrats who had already done so. At slightest 1 Democratic legislator is considering a push to expel Menendez.

“In ray of this blameworthy verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is correct for his constituents, nan Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy connected Tuesday besides called for Menendez to resign and, barring that, said nan Senate should expel him. Murphy said he would name a impermanent replacement for nan seat. If he chooses Kim, who hit Murphy’s woman successful nan primary, that would springiness nan legislator a bump successful seniority should he triumph nan November election.

The condemnation news could really beryllium construed arsenic affirmative for New Jersey Democrats, since it makes a Menendez independent bid harder to summation traction astatine Kim’s expense. Kim is facing able Republican hotelier Curtis Bashaw, a moderate, successful November.

“Every percent he gets is coming from an Andy Kim voter. In a adjacent race, he could do a batch of damage,” Fulop said.

There’s besides speculation that Menendez could enactment successful nan title to harm Democrats successful an effort to summation clemency from Donald Trump should he triumph successful November. Trump called Menendez’s prosecution an “attack,” commuted nan situation sentence of Melgen, Menendez’s erstwhile co-defendant, and it was during his management that nan Department of Justice chose not to retry Menendez aft his anterior mistrial.

“I deliberation anyone who sewage convicted would beryllium looking for clemency. I deliberation he’s besides going to beryllium looking for revenge,” Russell said. “That’s a hallmark of Bob Menendez, to nonstop revenge connected group who wronged him. This clip he thinks he’s sewage a full statement of group who wronged him.”