Robert Menendez, Greed and the Tall Poppy Syndrome - Public Service or Public Trough?

And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:23-24 ESV.

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Politics is not one of my favorite subjects or pastimes but I am drawn to it because TPS is always nearby. I devoted an entire chapter of my book (see The Tall Poppy Syndrome - The Joy of Cutting Others Down) to our government's involvement in TPS. It seems they or 3-letter government agencies are cutting someone down or are being cut down (see Biden Tall Poppies Himself and President Biden Is TALL POPPIED by his Own).

While writing my book I did a lot of background reading searching for positive attributes in TPs. At one time I was going to write a section on "How to Grow Tall" but it became a distraction. One of the books I read is germane to today's blog.

Profiles in Courage,  published in 1956, is a volume of short biographies written by then-Senator John F. Kennedy. The book highlights the courage and integrity demonstrated by eight U.S. Senators who took principled stands against their party and public opinion, often at great personal and political cost.

Kennedy's work emphasizes the theme of political courage, defining it as the willingness to make difficult decisions based on conscience and the greater good, rather than succumbing to external pressures from constituents, interest groups, and the desire for re-election. The book cemented my observation that courage and integrity are often present in TPs (see Vladimir Kara-Murza, Courage and the Tall Poppy Syndrome).

The book profiled eight senators: John Quincy Adams,  Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton,  Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross,  Lucius Lamar, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft. Each illustrated a moment in American history where these senators faced immense pressure but chose to act with integrity and uphold their principles, often at the expense of their careers.

Senator John F. Kennedy is credited as the author of "Profiles in Courage" which won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1957. However, there has been significant discussion about the extent of his involvement in writing the book. It is widely acknowledged that Kennedy's speechwriter and advisor, Theodore Sorensen, played a substantial role in the research and writing process. This collaboration has led to debates about the true authorship.

Was Kennedy being tall poppied? I did not need a section where my TPs would be subject to such scrutiny and a distraction from my main message, so I abandoned the section.

Robert Menendez was born in 1954 to Cuban immigrant parents in Union City, New Jersey. His parents left Cuba a few months earlier, in 1953. He attended Union Hill High School where he became the student body president. Menendez graduated from St. Peter's University in Jersey City with a degree in political science in 1976 and from Rutgers School of Law in 1979.

His political career began at age 19, winning a Union City Board of Education seat in 1974. He was elected Mayor of Union City in 1986 and served until 1992. The same year Menendez was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until 2006. In January 2006, Governor Jon Corzine appointed Menendez to fill his vacated Senate seat. Menendez won the 2006 Senate election and was re-elected in 2012 and 2018.

In April 2015, Menendez and Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist, were indicted on federal corruption charges. The indictment accused Menendez of accepting lavish gifts and campaign contributions from Melgen in exchange for using his office to benefit Melgen's personal and business interests. The gifts included luxury vacations, Melgen's private jet flights, and significant campaign contributions totaling nearly $1 million.

Menendez's involvement included using his office to secure visas for Melgen's foreign girlfriends and advocating for a port security contract in the Dominican Republic that would benefit Melgen financially.

Melgen was embroiled in a dispute with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) over allegations of over billing Medicare by millions of dollars. Prosecutors claimed that Menendez intervened on Melgen's behalf, contacting high-ranking officials, including then-Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, to influence the outcome of the dispute.

The trial began in September 2017 and lasted 11 weeks. It concluded in November 2017 with a hung jury - the jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. Reports indicated that the jury was divided, with a majority leaning towards acquittal, suggesting that the prosecution failed to prove that Menendez's actions were beyond the scope of normal friendship.

In January 2018, U.S. District Judge William H. Walls acquitted Menendez on several of the most serious bribery charges, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to prove a quid pro quo arrangement for the campaign contributions. However, other charges related to luxury trips and flights remained.

Despite the mistrial and partial acquittal, the Justice Department initially sought to retry Menendez. However, in January 2018, they ultimately decided to drop all remaining charges against both Menendez and Melgen.

While the corruption charges against Menendez were dismissed, Melgen faced separate legal troubles. In February 2018, Melgen was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a massive Medicare fraud scheme unrelated to the Menendez case. He was convicted on 67 counts, including healthcare fraud and making false claims, with losses to Medicare totaling $42 million.

In 2023, Menendez faced a second indictment on federal corruption charges, following a long-running investigation into his and his wife's dealings with three New Jersey businessmen. He was charged with 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors alleged that Menendez and his wife, Nadine, accepted bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, and a luxury Mercedes-Benz in exchange for political favors. These favors were purportedly extended to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar, as well as the businessmen involved

In June 2022, federal investigators executed a search warrant at Menendez's home, where they discovered over $480,000 in cash and gold bars worth up to $150,000. The cash was reportedly hidden in various places, including envelopes stuffed into clothing and a safe. The gold bars and cash were linked to the businessmen involved in the bribery scheme, with one of them, Jose Uribe, having pleaded guilty and testified during the trial.

The trial lasted nine weeks, during which the jury deliberated for about 12.5 hours before delivering a guilty verdict on all counts. Menendez was accused of selling his office to foreign powers and businessmen in exchange for substantial bribes. The jury found him guilty of honest services wire fraud, bribery, and extortion, making him only the seventh sitting U.S. senator to be convicted of a federal crime.

Following the guilty verdict on July 16, 2024, there was immediate pressure from fellow Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, for Menendez to resign. The cutdown was complete when Menendez announced his resignation from the Senate effective August 20, 2024, amidst widespread calls for his departure.

There were allegations involving Bob Menendez and prostitution, particularly with underage individuals, that have been a controversial aspect of his legal challenges. However, they were not part of the official charges in his corruption cases. The allegations first surfaced in 2012, claiming that Menendez had engaged in sexual activities with underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic.

Bob Menendez cut himself down by his egregious acts of hubris, greed, and possibly sex - my unhappy triad of egregious acts of public TPS. I feel sadness, not schadenfreude. Perhaps there is some anger that justifies our actions. It hurts more when we give our public trust to officials and they fail us.

Finally, as noted in the opening graph, misconduct has been markedly increased among our political officials over the last two decades. This may be occurring because we are more concerned with winning even if it means electing defective candidates who represent our base rather than those who are tallest for our country.

We have met the enemy and he is us. Pogo