(Patriot.Buzz) – Underscoring a blatant abuse of congressional power to profit from dealings with foreign interests, a Democrat senator is facing intensifying legal challenges following a rewritten indictment that highlights his involvement in a bribery conspiracy linked to the Qatari government.
The revised indictment was recently unveiled in Manhattan federal court. It connects Senator Bob Menendez from New Jersey to a scheme involving cash, gold bars, and a luxury car received in exchange for supporting the interests of a member of the Qatari royal family and a company with ties to Qatar.
According to the indictment, Menendez introduced the unnamed Qatari royal, a principal of the Qatari Investment Co., to New Jersey businessman Fred Daibes. Following this introduction, the Qatari Investment Co. considered and negotiated a multimillion-dollar investment in a real estate project planned by Daibes.
The allegations suggest that Menendez sought to leverage his position to benefit the Qatari government. Specifically, the indictment states that Menendez made multiple public statements supporting Qatar and provided them to Daibes via an encrypted messaging app. Daibes then shared the statements with the Qatari investor and a government official. Menendez allegedly accepted cash and gold bars from Daibes in exchange for these actions.
The indictment also accuses Menendez of encouraging the deal between Daibes and the Qatari company, attending a secret dinner with Qatari representatives, and requesting Formula One Grand Prix tickets from a Qatari official. Notably, these gifts and payments were never declared on Menendez’s Senate disclosure forms.
U.S. Attorney Damien Williams outlined these new allegations in the 50-page superseding indictment, which expands on the senator’s actions without adding new charges.
Previously charged in the fall over allegations related to benefiting the Egyptian government, Menendez has since been forced to step down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Despite bipartisan calls for his resignation, he remains a committee member and has steadfastly refused to resign from the Senate. Menendez’s trial is scheduled for May, where he will face the charges to which he and Daibes, along with three other businessmen and the senator’s wife, have pleaded not guilty.
