How Ukraine's friend in Congress got involved in corruption and why this could affect the US election
Bob Menendez, a long-standing member of the US Congress from the Democratic Party and a well-known supporter of Ukraine, has been convicted on corruption charges.
The 70-year-old senator was forced to announce his resignation, although he still does not admit guilt. Despite this, he has not given up on the chance to run for Congress, albeit without the support of the Democratic Party.
Read more about why the Menendez scandal threatens the Democratic majority in the US Senate and could directly impact the presidential race in the article by Oleh Pavliuk, a European Pravda journalist – Gold lover, Ukraine's friend: Details of the biggest corruption case in the US Senate.
Menendez's long political career has not been free of corruption scandals.
In 2006, the Democrat faced a complaint for a possible conflict of interest. He allegedly helped an NGO, to which he rented property at a below-market rate, obtain federal funding.
The results of the investigation were not publicly disclosed.
A much more serious scandal occurred in 2015 when Menendez was indicted on criminal charges of influence peddling.
This case (Menendez was accused of bribery, fraud and making false statements) led to a trial in September 2017. The trial ended two months later with the jury unable to reach a decision and the case was closed.
The only punishment was a reprimand from the Senate Ethics Committee, which ordered the senator to repay the market value of undeclared "gifts" from his "friend in Florida."
The current charges against Bob Menendez are far more severe.
The 16-count indictment against the Democratic senator involves facilitating arms sales to a foreign government, secret activities of foreign agents, pressuring prosecutors and numerous instances of bribery.
Fortunately, none of these charges relate to Ukraine but rather to Egypt and Qatar.
During a search of the Menendez home in May 2023, authorities found not only $480,000 in cash but also 13 gold bars, which they received in exchange for their "services" and connections with officials in Egypt and Qatar.
Moreover, Menendez attempted to conceal the corruption trail in the case by arranging expensive gifts as loans from the businessmen involved.
The verdict for the senator will be announced on 29 October, just a week before the US presidential and partial congressional elections.
The most serious charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The corruption scandal involving Menendez has shaken his fellow party members even before the verdict. Some have directly called for the senator to resign. He lost the party's support after the trial in September 2023: young congressman Andy Kim was elected as the Senate candidate instead.
The situation escalated further when Menendez announced his candidacy for re-election to the Senate as an independent candidate, starting a race for the party nomination for the Senate from his district.
He could "draw away" a few percentages from the Democrats in New Jersey in favour of the Republicans, further damaging the party's chances of maintaining its slim majority in the Senate in the 2024 elections.
Not to mention, the verdict against the senator could have repercussions for the entire Democratic Party, which is trying to unite to prevent Donald Trump's victory.
Along with Bob Menendez's resignation, one of the influential advocates of Ukraine's support will leave the US Senate. As a member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he is remembered for several pro-Ukrainian initiatives.