Leroy N. Soetoro
2023-09-01 19:38:28 UTC
The U.S. Department of Justice is weighing potential charges against Sen.
Bob Menendez, D-N.J., following a yearslong federal criminal probe into
his dealings with foreign regulators, according to a new report.
Detailed by people familiar with the matter, prosecutors are likely to
meet with the senator's lawyers in the coming weeks ahead of a final
decision, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Menendez, who serves as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, a position he held from 2013 to 2015 and again has been in
since 2021, has been under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office for
the Southern District of New York.
The probe, which involves several federal organizations, investigated
lavish gifts Menendez's wife, Nadine Arslanian, allegedly received from a
New Jersey food producer that obtained an exclusive contract with the
Egyptian government to certify halal food exports across the globe.
Egyptian officials and the New Jersey businessman who secured the contract
were hosted by Menendez in his office in 2018, according to the Journal. A
year later, the businessman became the "sole certifier of halal meat
exported from the U.S. to Egypt," the outlet noted.
"Details about any potential criminal charges couldnt be learned. It also
couldnt be determined whether other individuals under scrutiny, including
Arslanian, are in jeopardy of being prosecuted," the outlet added.
The inquiry considered whether Menendez may have improperly used his
position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to influence the deal.
The committee controls roughly $2 billion in U.S. aid to Egypt, according
to an NBC report earlier this year.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jennifer Morrill, a spokeswoman for
the senator, said, "As stated previously, the senator remains confident
this matter will be successfully resolved."
Federal investigators opened the probe into Menendez last October and gave
no indication of how long it was expected to continue.
The Journal noted that the current probe dates back to at least 2019, when
the New Jersey home of Wael Hana, an associate of Menendez's wife who
worked to establish the halal business that won the contract with Egypt,
was searched by federal investigators.
"Any allegations about cars, apartments, cash, and jewelry being provided
by anyone associated with ISEG Halal to Senator Menendez or his wife at
all, let alone in exchange for any kind of favorable treatment, are
totally without basis," a spokeswoman for Hana said in a previous
statement.
During an April appearance on CNN, Menendez insisted the investigation
wouldn't amount to anything.
"If anyone looks at my history on Egypt, they would know that by both
denying aid to Egypt, denying arms sales to Egypt, criticizing its human-
rights record, I am not in a position to be helpful to anyone as it
relates to Egypt," he said in relation to the contract between the two
parties.
In April, Menendez established a legal defense fund to help pay for tens
of thousands of dollars in legal fees relating to the federal criminal
probe.
If charged, Menendez, a former member of the House who has served in the
Senate since 2006, could continue to serve in the upper chamber. He is up
for re-election in 2024.
Menendez was previously indicted on federal bribery charges in 2016. That
case related to a wealthy Florida eye doctor and longtime friend who gave
generous donations to Menedez and allegedly received benefits in return.
The Department of Justice dropped those charges in 2018, however, and the
new probe was unrelated to that case.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
Bob Menendez, D-N.J., following a yearslong federal criminal probe into
his dealings with foreign regulators, according to a new report.
Detailed by people familiar with the matter, prosecutors are likely to
meet with the senator's lawyers in the coming weeks ahead of a final
decision, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Menendez, who serves as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, a position he held from 2013 to 2015 and again has been in
since 2021, has been under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office for
the Southern District of New York.
The probe, which involves several federal organizations, investigated
lavish gifts Menendez's wife, Nadine Arslanian, allegedly received from a
New Jersey food producer that obtained an exclusive contract with the
Egyptian government to certify halal food exports across the globe.
Egyptian officials and the New Jersey businessman who secured the contract
were hosted by Menendez in his office in 2018, according to the Journal. A
year later, the businessman became the "sole certifier of halal meat
exported from the U.S. to Egypt," the outlet noted.
"Details about any potential criminal charges couldnt be learned. It also
couldnt be determined whether other individuals under scrutiny, including
Arslanian, are in jeopardy of being prosecuted," the outlet added.
The inquiry considered whether Menendez may have improperly used his
position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to influence the deal.
The committee controls roughly $2 billion in U.S. aid to Egypt, according
to an NBC report earlier this year.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jennifer Morrill, a spokeswoman for
the senator, said, "As stated previously, the senator remains confident
this matter will be successfully resolved."
Federal investigators opened the probe into Menendez last October and gave
no indication of how long it was expected to continue.
The Journal noted that the current probe dates back to at least 2019, when
the New Jersey home of Wael Hana, an associate of Menendez's wife who
worked to establish the halal business that won the contract with Egypt,
was searched by federal investigators.
"Any allegations about cars, apartments, cash, and jewelry being provided
by anyone associated with ISEG Halal to Senator Menendez or his wife at
all, let alone in exchange for any kind of favorable treatment, are
totally without basis," a spokeswoman for Hana said in a previous
statement.
During an April appearance on CNN, Menendez insisted the investigation
wouldn't amount to anything.
"If anyone looks at my history on Egypt, they would know that by both
denying aid to Egypt, denying arms sales to Egypt, criticizing its human-
rights record, I am not in a position to be helpful to anyone as it
relates to Egypt," he said in relation to the contract between the two
parties.
In April, Menendez established a legal defense fund to help pay for tens
of thousands of dollars in legal fees relating to the federal criminal
probe.
If charged, Menendez, a former member of the House who has served in the
Senate since 2006, could continue to serve in the upper chamber. He is up
for re-election in 2024.
Menendez was previously indicted on federal bribery charges in 2016. That
case related to a wealthy Florida eye doctor and longtime friend who gave
generous donations to Menedez and allegedly received benefits in return.
The Department of Justice dropped those charges in 2018, however, and the
new probe was unrelated to that case.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.