Bob Menendez says after receiving 11-year prison sentence: "Trump is right"
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Former Sen. Bob Menendez speaks to journalists after his sentencing in a bribery conviction in New York City on Wednesday. Photo: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images
Former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of federal charges related to accepting bribes that prosecutors said were tied to Egypt and Qatar.
The big picture: The 71-year-old maintained his innocence but was found guilty on all 16 felony counts and was sentenced alongside New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, who were also charged in the case, per a Department of Justice statement.
- Hana, an Egyptian-American citizen, received more than eight years in prison and real estate developer Daibes received seven years, according to the DOJ.
- Menendez has said he plans to appeal the guilty verdict.
What they're saying: U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon said in a statement the sentences were the "result from an egregious abuse of power at the highest levels of the Legislative Branch of the federal government."
- Menendez "was trusted to represent the United States and the State of New Jersey, but instead he used his position to help his co-accused and a foreign government, in exchange for bribes like cash, gold, and a luxury car," she added.
- "The sentences imposed today send a clear message that attempts at any level of government to corrupt the nation's foreign policy and the rule of law will be met with just punishment."
The other side: Menendez claimed "political prosecution" outside the New York federal courthouse after he was sentenced.
- "President Trump was right," Menendez said.
- "This process is political, and it's corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system."
Catch up quick: Prosecutors accused Menendez of accepting "hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes" — including in gold bars and $480,000 in cash— while using his position as a senator to enrich his co-conspirators and the government of Egypt.
- He and his former wife, Nadine Menendez, were initially indicted in September 2023. A superseding indictment the following month charged him with conspiring to act as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt.
- In January 2024, another superseding indictment accused Menendez of accepting bribes from Daibes in exchange for helping the government of Qatar.
- In March last year, a third superseding indictment charged him with obstruction of justice.
Flashback: Menendez was previously indicted in 2015 on unrelated federal bribery and corruption charges. The case ended in a mistrial in 2017.
What's next: Nadine Menendez is due to face trial on March 18 after pleading not guilty in the case, which was delayed as she's treated for breast cancer.
Go deeper: Bob Menendez's Hail Mary: Just keep running
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
