MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan Blasts Menendez Defense In Bribery Case: ‘That Is a Ludicrous Claim’
MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan isn’t buying what Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is selling in the wake of the senator’s federal indictment on corruption charges, along with his wife, and three associates .
Menendez faces three criminal counts. According to the complaint, Menendez and his wife Nadine accepted cash, gold bars, a Mercedes, and other items of value in exchange for upping U.S. aid to Egypt and assisting New Jersey businessmen. The senator is also accused of giving the Egyptians secret information. Additionally, he allegedly attempted to intervene in a criminal case on an associate’s behalf.
Hasan summarized the indictment, which says agents found nearly $500,000 in cash around the Menendez’s home while executing a search warrant in June 2022. The host, filling in on Friday’s All In, seemed especially tickled by the gold bar detail, as well as a related web search Menendez allegedly performed.
“And they recovered several gold bars,” Hasan noted. Yes, gold bars worth over $100,000. Prosecutors say that Menendez, at one point even googled, and I quote, ‘kilo of gold price.’ So, Menendez and his wife are not facing three federal charges of conspiracy for bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.”
The host added:
Of course, they are innocent until proven guilty, and they will get their day in court. In a statement today, the senator denied the allegations, calling them “baseless.” He also attacked the “excesses” of these prosecutors, who he says have misrepresented the normal work of a congressional office.
Now, putting aside the potential criminality – the alleged criminality [aside] here for a second, that is a ludicrous claim. Does Senator Menendez really think that Americans will buy that it is normal work for a United States senator to basically do the bidding of a foreign government?”
Menendez insists he is innocent and has so far resisted calls to resign from the Senate, though he has stepped down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – at least for now.
The senator has been indicted before. In 2017, he was charged with bribery, fraud, and making false statements. A mistrial in the case was declared in 2017 after the jury could not reach a verdict.
Like Hasan, Menendez’s daughter – Alicia Menendez – is an MSNBC host.
Watch above via MSNBC.
