Menendez: From Gold Bars…to Behind Bars?

This episode dives into the historic conviction of US Senator Bob Menendez for acting as a foreign agent, highlighting the details and implications of the case.

1. Bob Menendez's conviction marks a significant moment in U.S. political history as the first senator convicted of acting as a foreign agent.
2. The evidence against Menendez included physical items like gold bars and large sums of cash which played a critical role in his conviction.
3. Despite the conviction, Menendez remains defiant, planning to appeal and continue his political career.
4. The episode highlights the complex interplay of politics and justice, reflecting on partisan responses to legal actions against political figures.
5. The case could have substantial implications for the Democratic Party, especially considering the delicate balance in the Senate.

1. The Conviction

Details the charges against Menendez and the pivotal evidence that led to his conviction. Emphasizes the gravity and uniqueness of the case in U.S. political history. Brad Milke: "He's the first one to be convicted of felonies like these involving foreign nationals."

2. Political Repercussions

Explores the potential impacts on Menendez's career and the broader political landscape, including the upcoming Senate race and the balance of power. Aaron Katersky: "This wasn't politics as usual. This was politics for profit."

3. The Defense and Appeal

Covers Menendez's response to the conviction and his plans to appeal, portraying his defiance and determination to continue his political career. Robert F. Kennedy Junior: "I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision."

1. Stay Informed: Keep up with political news, especially regarding your representatives, to make informed decisions at the polls.
2. Civic Engagement: Participate in local and national elections to influence issues you care about.
3. Educational Outreach: Learn about the judicial process and its impact on politics to better understand such significant cases.
4. Community Discussions: Engage in dialogues about political accountability to foster a more transparent system.
5. Support Reforms: Advocate for political and judicial reforms that promote integrity and reduce corruption.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., becomes the first U.S. senator convicted of acting as a foreign agent. President Trump reaches out to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. during the Republican National Convention. And Democrats are arguing over “virtual convention” rules that could install President Biden as the nominee.

People

Bob Menendez, Aaron Katersky, Robert F. Kennedy Junior

Content Warnings:

None

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Brad Milke
It'S Wednesday, July 17, and he's not immune from anything. We start here.

Bob Menendez becomes the first sitting us senator ever convicted of acting as a foreign agent.

Damian Williams
His years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.

Brad Milke
Why the jury found him guilty. And what happens to his seat? Donald Trump wants all his rivals teaming up against President Biden, even the rivals not in his party. We're gonna win. We're gonna win. We're gonna win.

Robert F. Kennedy Junior
Way ahead of the guy.

Brad Milke
The revealing phone conversation with Robert F. Kennedy Junior. And don't let the silence fool you. Democrats still aren't all sold on Bidenhood.

Selena Wang
There's still a lot of debate within the party about whether or not President Biden is the best nominee, why a.

Brad Milke
Battle over the calendar could determine the nomination.

From ABC News, this is start here. I'm Brad Milke.

At this moment in american political life, there are very few things that can eclipse the spotlight that is on Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention. And yet yesterday, something did.

Selena Wang
Breaking news out of New York City. A jury finding Senator Bob Menendez guilty in the federal bribery trial against him.

Brad Milke
In his 50 year career in New Jersey politics, Senator Bob Menendez has been accused multiple times of using his political office to enrich himself and his associates. He had never actually been convicted of a crime, though. Well, in federal court yesterday, that all changed. He is not the first sitting senator to be convicted of a felony, but he's the first one to be convicted of felonies like these involving foreign nationals, which is especially troubling since up until last year, he led the Senate committee on foreign relations. Let's get started with ABC senior investigative correspondent Aaron Kadirsky. Aaron, what exactly did they find Menendez guilty of?

Aaron Katersky
They found him guilty of all 16 counts that he faced, Brett, including bribery and extortion, and being a public official who was acting as a foreign agent, namely for Egypt, because according to prosecutors and the jury agreed, Menendez took lavish gifts, bribe payments in the form of cash and gold bars and a luxury automobile in exchange for doing official acts, official favors, effectively selling the power of his office. When the verdict came in, Menendez glanced toward the jury, shook his head a bit, and then rested his head on his hands, his elbows on the table. When he came out of court, he was defiant.

Robert F. Kennedy Junior
I have never violated my public oath. I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever being a foreign agent.

Aaron Katersky
Prosecutors in court called this corruption on a massive scale. And that was reflected in what the us attorney Damian Williams said outside court.

Damian Williams
This wasn't politics as usual. This was politics for profit. And now that a jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.

Aaron Katersky
Bob Menendez is the first United States senator Brad to be indicted twice. He faced down federal bribery charges, the first time about seven years ago when there was a mistrial. But this time, the jury seemed to have no doubt. And when they held the gold bars in their hands and felt their weight and they saw these wads of cash, envelope after envelope, stuffed in his jacket, in a safe, in his closet, even in his shoes, that was enough for the jury to convict. Even though Menendez tried to say hoarding cash was a cuban thing and it was his wife who was the one really responsible here.

Brad Milke
Hey, does he go to prison for something like that? Like, are we about to see a sitting us senator go to jail?

Aaron Katersky
He sure could. And the charges that he's convicted of, taken together, carry the possibility of years in prison. Now, Menendez, this is his first time being convicted. He doesn't have a criminal record. This was not a violent crime.

You're not sure whether he would ever be put in prison. He's due to be sentenced October 29. There's nothing to stop Menendez from continuing to serve in the Senate. But as soon as the verdict came in, the calls rang out anew for Menendez to resign, including a new call for his resignation from the majority leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, who until now had held his tongue even as Menendez faced plenty of calls from within his own party and within his home state. Schumer had not taken that step until now.

Brad Milke
So where does this put Democrats? Because the Senate's currently on a knife's edge. It's like 51 49. So it becomes a very high stakes thing. Are people already jockeying for that seat? Should Menendez resign? Like, what? What is next?

Aaron Katersky
He was already facing a tough reelection battle. As soon as the indictment dropped, he faced a primary challenge, and then he did not get the democratic nomination. So he decided that he would run as an independent. Whether this is still a viable candidacy Brad remains uncertain. It's possible that he's going to be in prison.

Voters of New Jersey will have a number of choices, but Menendez, for now, says he is not going anywhere.

Robert F. Kennedy Junior
Obviously, I'm deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury's decision.

I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal.

Aaron Katersky
He says he has never violated his oath of office and he spoke outside the court. Defiant.

Brad Milke
Well, and it's interesting, too, because you've heard the message from Republicans loud and clear over the last year that there's a weaponized department of justice here, that federal law enforcement agencies are biased for Democrats and against Republicans like Donald Trump. And yet when you look at just the headlines from the last few weeks, Bob Menendez convicted, Hunter Biden convicted. And former President Trump has had cases thrown out or sort of thrown into limbo because of court rulings. Aaron Katersky, thank you so much.

Aaron Katersky
Thank you, Brad.

Brad Milke
Next up on start here. Republicans want to seize on this moment. Can they get help from outside the party? New developments from the RNC in Milwaukee after the break.

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Brad Milke
Last night at the Republican National Convention, the speakers list included a who's who of people who once seemed to despise Donald Trump, only to come around and bend the knee.

Aaron Katersky
God bless Donald J. Trump.

Brad Milke
Ted Cruz, back in 2016, told delegates to vote their conscience rather than offering a full throated endorsement. Well, here he was, seizing the mantle of MAGA. Later in the night, Florida governor Ron DeSantis offered his support.

Robert F. Kennedy Junior
Donald Trump has been demonized, he's been sued, he's been prosecuted, and he nearly lost his life. We cannot let him down, and we cannot let America down.

Brad Milke
But think about it. These men's core base of support really already comes from Trump. The people who the GOP is truly concerned about are those more moderate voters who aren't huge fans of Trump, or, for that matter, Joe Biden. Some of those voters had looked desperately to people like Nikki Haley to forge a path forward.

Nikki Haley
Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period.

Brad Milke
Last night, Hailey walked on stage and told the nation, Herdeh path has led her to Donald Trump.

Nikki Haley
We should acknowledge that there are some Americans who don't agree with Donald Trump 100% of the time.

I happen to know some of them.

Brad Milke
The Trump campaign had promised a night of unity. The truth was, it certainly wasn't a vision of national unity. Several speakers, including these ones, painted a really dark picture of a Biden presidency. Democrats cynically decided they wanted votes from illegals more than they wanted to protect our children. They invoked images of murderous immigrants. They delivered laugh lines about LGBTQ Americans.

Robert F. Kennedy Junior
They can't even define what a woman is.

Brad Milke
They declared Joe Biden dangerous. This wasn't about unity as Americans. It was about unity as a party.

Nikki Haley
I haven't always agreed with President Trump, but we agree more often than we disagree.

Brad Milke
But on the same day the Trump team was talking about unity within the Republican Party, we also learned that Trump is seeking unity with the country's leading independent candidate of the moment as well. This was all part of a conversation where Donald Trump appeared to speak to RFK junior and even fed into dangerous conspiracy theories by repeating debunked claims himself. Let's bring in ABC's Washington bureau chief Rick Klein. Rick, we've heard Trump had a phone meeting with RFK junior that ended up getting recorded and broadcast. What do we know?

Rick Klein
Yeah, Brad, this is really wild. We knew that Bobby Kennedy junior was going to be in Milwaukee. He was planning to pop up at some press events, just kind of make some noise around the republican convention. But it turns out that he met with Donald Trump on the first day of the convention. And not only did they meet, but Bobby Kennedy's son actually recorded at least part of the conversation and then posted it all online.

Brad Milke
I would be, I would love you to do so. And I think it'll be, be so good for you and so big for you. And we're going to win. We're going to win. We're way ahead of the guy.

Rick Klein
So you actually see about a minute and a half of the conversation of former President Trump and Bobby Kennedy junior himself, of course, the son of a presidential candidate who was assassinated back in 1968, talking about what happened to him on Saturday, talking about his private phone call with President Biden.

Brad Milke
He said, how did you choose to move to the right?

Rick Klein
And also with Trump talking about vaccines, the anti vax views that Bobby Kennedy junior has made famous and been kind of his political calling card.

Brad Milke
When you feed a baby, Bobby, a vaccination that is like 38 different vaccines, and it looks like it's good for a horse, not a, you know, ten pound or 20 pound baby. And I should say to our listeners that, to say the obvious, what he is saying about vaccines is not accurate. Like, babies are not given doses equivalent to horses. Pediatric vaccines are the results of decades of high quality replicable studies, by the way, they've saved countless lives. But, but, Rick, the fact that these two candidates are talking on the phone like this, to me, like, I usually see this as the moment where somebody's flirting around for an endorsement, right? So is there a chance RFK junior is going to suspend his campaign and endorse Trump? Like, is that what he's angling for?

Rick Klein
Well, Trump's asking him for it and saying, look, this would be so great for you. We're going to win. We're going to win big. And this whole thing sounds like basically Trump trying to butter Kennedy up, talking about how right you are on all these issues and what a big deal you are, and then bringing him inside the curtain a little bit with these behind the scenes details, talking about how it sounded like the world's giant mosquito just bit him on the ear. It just, it seemed like a very kind of, you know, the word that I keep thinking of is political pals like, here I am, I'm yours.

Brad Milke
We understand each other.

Rick Klein
Yeah, we get each other. And look how big a deal you could be if you support me. Trump has had this incredible streak of good political news, awful news about him being attacked, but truly riding a hot streak and landing the Kennedy endorsement. Given Kennedy's name, given his lineage, given the fact that he was a democratic candidate now as an independent candidate, polling in the low double digits right now, will Kennedy do what Trump wants him to and get out of the race and endorse him? It does not look like it. He has spent millions of dollars and a huge amount of time trying to get himself on the ballot, to offer himself as an alternative to both of these. Mendenna, the people have to decide to.

Brad Milke
Take back the power in this country.

Rick Klein
It's hard to imagine at this stage for him to pull the plug. But I'll tell you, the last couple of days in politics tell you, you really can't make any kind of safe bets.

Brad Milke
Yeah, I mean, from the vantage point of the Trump campaign at this point, Rick, like RFK junior at this point is known, like, primarily for kind of off the wall conspiracy theories, especially health conspiracy theories. What is the overall strategy from Trump? Like, is this the moment that you can go over the top, that you can, like, put this race to bed? If you time your cards right, I guess. Is somebody like RFK instrumental in that?

Rick Klein
Brad, the interesting thing about Bobby Kennedy's appeal is that you might assume that he would take more away from Joe Biden because he is part of the most famous democratic family, maybe in history. You'd think that there would be a chunk of voters there. But it's actually different in different states, even sometimes.

I've talked to campaign strategists in both parties and they see a possibility where Kennedy helps Trump in maybe North Carolina, but hurts Trump in, say, Michigan or Wisconsin, neither party can quite figure it out. What they are in agreement with is that they want him out. They don't like the complicating factor. It's annoying to them and maybe really dangerous. So, look, there won't be much that Biden and Trump agree with. They both like Kennedy to leave the race. Of course, they'd also like to have his support. But the thing about Bobby Kennedy junior, he's made clear he is his own man in this. His whole family has ostracized him for his political ambitions.

Nikki Haley
President Biden has been a champion for all the rights and freedoms that my father and uncle stood for.

Rick Klein
They've warned against what this means. Nothing has stopped him so far. We'll have to see if Trump, though, is the one that has the magic touch.

Brad Milke
Right? And I should also say a weird way to learn that these candidates were getting all buddy buddy cause you rarely hear these types of calls in public. In fact, RFK junior apologized for this call becoming public and it was swiftly deleted. Rick line in Milwaukee right now. Thank you so much.

Rick Klein
Thank you. BRADLEy.

Brad Milke
Now, if Republicans feel like theyre going on the offensive, well, Democrats dont know what the plan is right now. Up until the attempt on Trumps life, Democrats were increasing pressure on President Biden to potentially end his reelection campaign.

Rick Klein
Thats what were asking the president to do, not trying to force him out of a job, but to call on him on his better nature to look at what is best for the country.

Brad Milke
The thinking by some was we just can't win this as a campaigner. Biden is getting weaker by the day. That talk seemed to cool off over the weekend. But when you look at it logically, why exactly? Like, if anything, you could argue Biden looks the same as he did a week ago and that Trump looks like an even stronger candidate. So now you're starting to see those calls crescendo again, right, as Democrats are set to vote on their nominee. ABC senior White House correspondent Selena Wang is traveling with President Biden in Nevada on what's become a crucial trip.

The Democratic National Convention is like more than a month from now. Why are Democrats now starting to say, like, we've only got a week to decide this whole thing?

Selena Wang
So typically, of course, in order to name your party's nominee, it would be at the convention floor in person. But because one state, Ohio, changed its deadline for ballot access to August 7 earlier than normal, the DNC decided to change their rules to have an earlier roll call so the vote would be happening virtually. They wanted to do this to ensure ballot access in Ohio. But, Brad, Ohio actually changed its law. So the state's new deadline is now later. It's now September 1. So that is why you're seeing some lawmakers frustrated, saying that they shouldn't have to do this early vote because there's still a lot of debate within the party about whether or not President Biden is the best nominee.

Rick Klein
So let me ask you, are you all in?

Brad Milke
Because I'm all in.

Selena Wang
We've obtained a draft letter that's been circulating among some lawmakers that says holding this early vote would be a terrible idea that would undermine the unity of Democrats the letter then goes on to say that it would stifle debate and shut down any possible change to the democratic ticket. We've also learned that at least a few lawmakers are planning to sign on to this letter. What this really shows, Brad, is that this ongoing debate about replacing President Biden is not going anywhere anytime soon and that what we saw over the last day or so was really just a temporary reprieve.

Brad Milke
Speaker one that's interesting because, yeah, I feel like sort of the conventional wisdom around Washington is like, this has really cooled off. You're saying it hasn't cooled off. It's just like taken a pause and now, like, Democrats are putting their foot on the gas. Which Democrats, though, like, how widespread is this? Because if you're trying to change the convention rules, like, you need a bunch of people to latch onto that.

Selena Wang
Well, look, there are a lot of lawmakers who are privately calling for President Biden to step aside, but publicly it still hasn't reached a mass fever pitch. However, we have learned, according to an audio that we've obtained, that California Congressman Adam Schiffde privately warned donors over the weekend, I do not think he is.

Robert F. Kennedy Junior
The best person to go into this election.

I think if he is our nominee, I think we lose.

Selena Wang
He even said that if he's our nominee, I think we lose. We may very well lose the Senate and lose our chance to take back the House. So you do have growing number of high profile lawmakers and donors coming out speaking to oppose President Biden. Now that being said, the delegates are who will nominate President Biden. And we haven't seen a mass number of delegates say that they wouldn't go for President Biden. So still, this really comes down to what does the president himself decide to do?

Brad Milke
What is the president, if you're President Biden, I imagine that your mind, like every day that passes is one day closer to the finish line. Right? Like, I just got to ride this out.

Selena Wang
Well, look, Brad, the president has been adamant that he is not going anywhere. He is in Las Vegas this week, yesterday, giving a speech in front of the NAACP annual convention, making it very clear that he is all in on this race. And he did not shy away from attacking Donald Trump either.

Rick Klein
Here's what he thinks of black jobs. I love this phrase, black jobs.

Tell us a lot about the man.

Brad Milke
And about his character.

Selena Wang
But what is interesting here is that I did speak to some voters at the convention who said that they would actually prefer Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. But the president has been very clear that unless he has shown data that there is no chance he can win, he is staying in this race.

There is very little that would get him to change his mind. And sources also tell me that the president is really closing his inner circle and the number of people that he is taking advice from is just getting smaller by the day.

Brad Milke
Wow. Really, really interesting moments here. Selena Wang there in Nevada following the president. Thank you so much.

Selena Wang
Thank you.

Brad Milke
Okay, one more quick break. When we come back, a story that's not about politics. Ugh. Yes, please. But there are still smear campaigns at work. One last thing is next.

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Nikki Haley
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Brad Milke
And one last thing, people try to smuggle stuff into foreign countries all the time. Drugs and contraband, sure, but also fruits and vegetables, exotic animals, dead and alive. Unsurprisingly, these can all get you fined or even arrested. Want to introduce new pests or diseases? But recently in South Korea, airport authorities have been warning travelers, you better not be trying to make everything bagels up in here.

So apparently I did not know this, but the american grocery chain trader Joe's has this huge cult following in South Korea. Like, there are no Trader Joe's locations there, but TJ's swag like tote bags and t shirts are very coveted. On Reddit recently, a user said, my parents are traveling to the US from South Korea and are wondering what they should buy there. They don't have Trader Joe's, but they've heard about it from all their friends. Like, it's super popular. Well, some of tjs most popular products are seasonings, particularly the seasoning called everything but the bagel. Sesame seeds, salt, dried onion, garlic and poppy seeds sounds great if you're a bagel lover, but if you're a customs officer in South Korea, it sounds completely illegal.

See, poppy seeds are banned in South Korea. They're considered a narcotic because the poppy plant, you might know this, is used to make opium. Now, poppy seeds generally arent going to get you high, but the opiate fluids in the plant can contaminate the seeds sometimes, rarely at high levels, but some countries, like South Korea and Saudi Arabia just ban them entirely. Well, as more and more Korean travelers explore the US, the more are coming back with everything but the bagel seasoning this woman described to the Korean broadcaster nBCamerica. How embarrassing it is to learn youre being treated like a drug suspect because of the trinkets you bought as family gifts.

New posters have gone up at Seoul's international airport specifically warning about everything but the bagel. But it's tough to scan every bag for seasoning, leading to a kind of bagel shaped hole in security seed. What I did there a lock to digest there. This would all be a moot point, by the way, if people would just do the right thing, prioritize getting the dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Thats what you want. Or maybe some fruit leathers. More on all these stories@abcnews.com. or the ABC News app Im Brad Milke. See you tomorrow.

I
The political center of gravity is shifting to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week for the Republican National Convention, and the 538 Politics podcast is going to be on the ground to cover it. Republicans will lay out their pitch to the nation for why they should get Americans votes. And it's happening amidst uncertainty over President Biden's position as the democratic nominee and after months of scrutiny over former President Trump's legal challenges. We're going to sort through the noise and zoom in on what really matters using data and research as we go. And we'll have daily episodes from the convention. Search for 538 politics wherever you get your podcasts.