Jail was the sole denouement for Bonnie and Clyde’s crimes- but a politician’s place after indictments are general elections, U.S Representative Henry Cuellar and U.S. Senator Bob Menendez have been indicted alongside their wives with many charges, including bribery and acting as foreign agents. The former plans to run for reelection, already advancing to the generals (Ballotpedia). The latter expressed that he may run as an Independent in this year’s election if his trial goes smoothly (POLITICO).
While around 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck (forbes.com), Rep. Henry Cuellar is accepting bribes from Azerbaijan’s oil company and a Mexican bank. His business deal involved the exchange of money for legislative policies that favored the company (justice.gov). In the pursuit for more wealth, he pressured executive branch officials to make beneficial measures to the bank. Collectively, he accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), his wife was also involved with front companies and contracts that she minimally worked on. Ultimately, they were indicted on several charges that include: ”…Two counts of bribery of a federal official…, two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud… and five counts of money laundering.” (justice.gov).
As 44.2 million Americans suffer from food insecurity (frac.org), Gold Bar Bob Menendez was literally lining his pockets with hundred dollar bills; the Department of Justice states that over $480,000 in cash were found in stuffed envelopes and hidden clothing bearing his name. An additional $70,000 was found inside of his wife’s (Nadine Menendez) safe deposit box. Gold bars were also found in their home, valued at over $100,000.
Aside from the money they were given upfront, their “business partners” were making payments towards their mortgage, a luxury convertible, home furnishings, compensation for a low effort/no show job for his wife, and more. In exchange for these benefits, Menendez protected the interests of his “partners”: Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Jose Uribe, and the Egyptian Government (justice.gov).
This included pressuring an official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect a monopoly granted to Hana by Egypt. He also took action to intervene in a criminal investigation prompted by the New Jersey Attorney General- one that happened to pertain to Uribe and his other accomplices, and recommended a U.S. attorney to the President that he believed could be molded as the perfect tool for Daibes.
At first, Menendez tried to deny any wrongdoing, but when his search history read “How much is one kilo of gold worth”, that prospect became impossible (The Daily Show). When confronted with the overwhelming evidence of his corruption, he claimed that the habit of having gold bars is rooted in traumatic family history (The Daily Show). It appears that many Americans should be entitled to gold bars, since Menendez set the standard of coping with trauma in modern America.
As an American citizen, you would be justifiably horrified that two members of Congress are working for the interests of Azerbaijan and other entities. Congress is the only institution that allows individuals to put their greed above the wellbeing of its citizens. Representative Cuellar has served for nineteen years, and Menendez has served for eighteen years; their length of service has seen an entire generation grow from newborns to adults. It’s more than likely if they hadn’t served in office for almost two decades, their corruption wouldn’t run so deep. Term Limits is more than wishful thinking- it’s a necessity that can become a reality.