Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has been a dirty and corrupt politician for years. He’s been under investigation, indictment, and even trial in the past. Yet the voters of New Jersey reelected him, and he’s had the support of his fellow Democrats in Congress.
It’s hard to understand why Democrats are only now willing to throw him under the bus, but they are. Maybe they’re tired of the distraction his scandals have caused. Regardless of the reason, one thing is sure: Democrats have not only been happy to turn a blind eye to Menendez’s corruption, but they’ve also been happy to take his money.
FEC filings show that Menendez’s campaign committee has doled out lots of money to his fellow Democrats. According to an analysis by Breitbart News, roughly $230,000 went to his colleagues in the Senate during the 2022 cycle, including Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who got $5,000 from Menendez.
Fetterman is just one Democrat Senator who received political donations from Menendez’s PAC. Below are nine of the top Democrats who received money from Menendez’s campaign committee in the 2022 cycle, OpenSecrets reported:
- Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) — Maggie for New Hampshire $10,000, 6 Donations
- Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — Kelly for Senate $10,000, 3 Donations
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-IL) — Tammy for Wisconsin $10,000, 4 Donations
- Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) — Wyden for Senate $10,000, 2 Donations
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) — Gillibrand for Senate $10,000, 2 Donations
- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) — Catherine Cortez Masto for Senate $10,000, 3 Donations
- Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) — Alex Padilla for Senate $10,000, 2 Donations
- Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) — Bennet for Colorado $7,500, 3 Donations
- Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) — Warnock for Georgia $7,500, 2 Donations
Menendez has also given quite a bit of money for the 2024 election cycle. “According to campaign finance disclosures, Menendez’s New Millennium PAC gave Senate Democrats large donations, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) $5,000, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) $10,000, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) $10,000, and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) $5,000.” Menendez has also given money to various Democrat organizations, which in turn donate cash to Democrat candidates.
Related: Why Are Democrats Suddenly Willing to Sacrifice Bob Menendez?
There have been some Democrats who have indicated their intentions to return Menendez’s contributions, but so what? Why were they accepting money from Menendez after he was accused of underage prostitution? Why were they accepting money from Menendez after was put on trial for federal corruption?
Democrats were more than willing to accept his dirty money for years, and we’re supposed to be impressed that they are calling for his resignation and returning his donations now? Sorry, but that doesn’t impress me one bit.
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