Anti-Türkiye US senator Menendez gears up for re-election amid corruption probe

Despite ongoing corruption and bribery investigations, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez is preparing to run for re-election in New Jersey.

The 70-year-old senator resigned from his position as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following corruption charges but continued to serve as a senator. Menendez had previously announced he would not seek the Democratic nomination in the November elections.

However, on June 3, he applied to run as an independent candidate. In the documents submitted to the state, he listed his party as “Menendez for Senate.”

Menendez clarified that his independent status does not signify a party change, stating: “No, being independent does not mean I am changing parties.”

Corruption,  bribery case

Menendez, the first senator in the last 40 years to face bribery charges, was investigated in 2015 for receiving gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars but was acquitted of 18 different charges in 2017, reportedly due to pressure from the Armenian diaspora. In 2018, he was re-elected as a senator with the support of the Armenian diaspora.

The senator made headlines again in September when the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office released an indictment, forcing him to resign from his position as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

During a federal investigation, a search operation of Menendez’s house uncovered $400,000 worth of gold bars and stacks of cash. Additionally, a luxury vehicle registered to his Armenian-born wife, Nadine Arslanian, was found. DNA analysis was also conducted on the gold discovered in the house.

Prosecutors alleged that the senator and his wife accepted the money “to benefit the Egyptian government.” Following the discovery of this evidence, the investigation turned into a court case.

Allegations of bribery, political influence

The indictment also alleges that Menendez accepted bribes to influence political processes regarding military sales to Egypt. Furthermore, Menendez allegedly provided Egyptian officials with information about U.S. diplomats. During a 2021 trip to Egypt, he met with Egyptian officials and used his political influence to impact judicial proceedings.

Known for anti-Türkiye stance

Menendez, a strong supporter of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and known for his closeness to Greek lobby organizations, is one of the U.S. politicians heavily funded by the Jewish lobby group Norpac.

Known for criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Menendez strongly advocated implementing the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Türkiye.

He has also advocated for providing Greece with F-35 fighter jets and has been critical of Türkiye’s relations with Iran and Russia.