(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Disgraced Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., may soon be graced by a pardon from outgoing President Joe Biden, the New York Post reported on Monday.
Menendez is set to resign from the Senate on Tuesday and is actively negotiating a pardon, sources told the outlet.
The negotiations are reportedly tied to rumors of his third-party Senate bid as part of a broader deal.
“He’s likely trying to get a pardon or a reduction in his sentence,” a New Jersey political operative told the outlet.
Menendez was convicted of public corruption on July 16. A jury found him guilty of accepting bribes from two businessmen in exchange for supporting policies favorable to the Egyptian government.
The senator announced his resignation in July, likely under pressure from his Democratic colleagues. Sources suggest that Menendez’s decision to resign may have been influenced by potential negotiations for a favorable outcome.
“Bob Menendez doesn’t do things without getting something back, and at this point I would think he would want to get out of the way to spare his kids the embarrassment, and maybe even help his wife,” the source alleged.
Menendez is set to be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces a maximum sentence of 222 years in federal prison.
Thomas Anderson, director of the Last Government Watchdog, a transparency and accountability group, said that Menendez’s last-ditch is to clinch a presidential pardon “by dropping out of a race he should have never been a part of.”
Political analyst Hank Sheinkopf predicted that Menendez might not receive a pardon and could be used as a “poster boy for corruption in the Democratic Party.”
He added, “It’s not the way he wanted the story for him to go. If it were to happen, it would happen after the November 5 election.”
Menendez will be replaced by George Samir Helm, a former chief of staff to Gov. Phil Murphy.
Today I am proud to announce that I will appoint George Samir Helmy to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Menendez.
George will serve with honesty and integrity and is the ideal leader to take on this interim role. https://t.co/nmaHWyE1xJ pic.twitter.com/AJypDhFrOC
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) August 16, 2024
With Biden not seeking re-election, speculation continues to grow about who else might receive a presidential pardon, with critics predicting at the possibility of Hunter Biden being next in line.
