Menendez has “long been accused of open and insatiable corruption,” Turley says. In 2017, Menendez went to trial in a major bribery and fraud case. To the surprise of many, it ended in a hung jury.
“Menendez dodged a bullet,” writes Turley.
But now he’s been given a massive new bribery indictment, again involving lavish gifts allegedly made in exchange for political favors. “The question is whether this level of corruption is now enough for Democrats.” Several prominent Democrats have called for him to resign; many others are so far remaining silent.
Menendez’s alleged corruption was like something out of an old gangster movie — “with cash stuffed in clothing and gold bars squirreled away for a rainy day.”
Whatever happens to Menendez, writes Turley, “the public is still being played for chumps. This entire city floats on a sea of corruption as family members and associates sell influence and access to high-ranking officials. Menendez is notorious only for the size of his appetite and the extent of his audacity.”
“The problem is not Menendez,” concludes Turley. “It is the array of other politicians who enabled him while dismissing his reputation for corruption.”
Read the op-ed at TheHill.com.
