Posted on 09/24/2023 5:14:22 AM PDT by FarCenter
The massive indictment of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife has shaken Washington.
As Senate Foreign Relations chairman, Menendez is one of the most powerful Democratic members of Congress, and someone who has long been a kingmaker in the party. He has also long been accused of open and insatiable corruption.
What made Menendez a standout in Washington was not his corrupt inclinations, but his utter audacity in following them. I was able to witness that signature conduct personally on the floor of the Senate.
In 2010, I defended a federal judge, Thomas Porteous, in his impeachment trial, against charges that he had taken gifts and misused his office for personal gain. ... Menendez was among those sitting in judgment of Porteous, but he wasn’t just another face in the Senate crowd — he stood out. It was like arguing a piracy case with Captain Jack Sparrow sitting on the jury.
...
The question is whether this level of corruption is now enough for Democrats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently suggested a type of Goldilocks rule for corruption. He warned that people in Washington had better be careful if they want to crack down on the Biden family’s influence-peddling.
“If that’s the new criteria, there are a lot of folks in a lot of industries — not just in politics — where people have family members and relationships and they’re trying to parlay and get a little influence and benefit in that respect. That’s hardly unique.”
It would appear that the question is not corruption, but when a little corruption is “just right.”
If these allegations against Menendez are proven, then he violated Washington’s Goldilocks rule. It would mean that Menendez pursued gifts with a reckless abandon, endangering others whose corruption was more circumspect.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
I wonder if Deep State is sending a message to anyone getting cold feet...
Menendez became expendable when in opposed Obama’s Iran sell out. Obama accused him of being an agent of Israel. Not to mention, Dems aren’t worried about losing a senate seat in NJ.
Menendez became expendable when in opposed Obama’s Iran sell out. Obama accused him of being an agent of Israel. Not to mention, Dems aren’t worried about losing a senate seat in NJ.
AOC suddenly owns extremely valuable real estate, estimated by one observer to be worth 29 million. No one complains because everyone is doing it. Now it seems that the greed is totally out of control. Spending bills, for the Ukraine, Covid and the like, fly through Congress because so many palms are getting greased. Billions go missing altogether; 4 billion in the Iraq war, 200 billion in Covid relief, and no one bats an eye. The theft from the public purse is unsustainable, and the band plays on.
OMG!!!
Golden Rule means treating others like you want to be treated - which here is perverted to mean don't attack Joe's corruption unless you want to have your corruption attacked.
Joe has certainly violated the Goldilocks Rule as has Menendez to a lesser extent. In fact, Menendez is an amateur merely seeking a $100,000 here and there, not getting $5 and $10M at a whack.
It's an honor among thieves sort of thing.
Corruption accelerates like rats leaving a sinking ship. This suckers going down. Opportunity to loot and pillage fading.
The leading national expert on corruption was an old Tammany Hall boss named George Washington Plunkett.
https://www.amazon.com/Plunkitt-Tammany-Hall-Practical-Politics/dp/149488500X
He argued that there were two major types of corruption, honest graft and dishonest graft.
Honest graft was stealing your cut from legitimate public works projects that had a public benefit.
Dishonest graft was stealing from either useless or negative projects.
Almost all modern corruption falls into the second category—that includes endless wars all over the world, “climate change” insanity, “equity” nuttiness etc etc etc.....
I am vastly familiar with that book and I commend it to all Freepers. It’s sort of like I said, there is grease to get legitmate things in the public interest done - a transaction fee as it were, and then there is outright theft. One is theft, the other is fraud.
Serious but rhetorical:
I wonder how much of his take could be traced right back to DS interests here.
Plain words from truthful George
A big city like New York or Philadelphia or Chicago might be compared to a sort of Garden of Eden, from a political point of view. It’s an orchard full of beautiful apple trees. One of them has got a big sign on it, marked: “Penal Code Tree—Poison.” The other trees have lots of apples on them for all. Yet the fools go to the Penal Code Tree. Why? For the reason, I guess, that a cranky child refuses to eat good food and chews up a box of matches with relish. I never had any temptation to touch the Penal Code Tree. The other apples are good enough for me, and O Lord! how many of them there are in a big city!
“He warned that people in Washington had better be careful if they want to crack down on the Biden family’s influence-peddling.” Love to get a magnifying glass on that SOB, not that anyone would ever prosecute ‘golden boy’.
This is why the DC political class is quite happy to get rid of Trump by any means. Go back and listen to his inauguration speech. He put the DC grifter class on notice and they heard him loud and clear. They will do anything to prevent him from winning the Oval Office in 2024.
Biden was just dumb enough to use his crackhead son as his bagman. As much as the DC grifter class wants to take Joe to the woodshed for being that stupid, they are far more afraid that their malfeasance will be discovered
Reminds me of the “counting room” in the Scorsese movie Casino.
A big chunk of his take was from a crooked real estate developer in Edgewater, for whom he allegedly influenced the appointment of a “friendly” federal prosecutor. This included the gold bars.
On the other hand, some was from an Egyptian, grateful for some influence in the Foreign Affairs committee.
The first is ordinary New Jersey Democrat boss corruption. The second is more deep state.
The ruling junta wants to replace Menendez with a black female, or at least a female hispanic, or maybe a combination of both to check off more minority boxes. The allegations of corruption don’t need to be true, but even so, the Bidens and Pelosis are guilty of far worse. They want Menendez gone.
They also view New Jersey as safe Democrat. If he lost his seat, it would be taken over by more a compliant party hack.
“I seen my opportunities and I took ‘em.”
The Feds raided his home and found the goods in June of 2022. What took them so long to indict?
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