Robert Menendez: Guilty of Abuse of public trust

Abuse of public trust refers to actions or behaviors by individuals in positions of authority or responsibility within the government or public sector that violate the public’s confidence in their integrity and duty to serve the best interests of the public.

Corruption

Corruption involves the misuse of public resources, funds, or power for personal gain. It can include bribery, embezzlement, kickbacks, and other forms of financial misconduct.

ROBERT MENENDEZ, as the Chairman or the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, possessed substantial influence over foreign military sales and foreign military financing to Egypt.

Nepotism

Nepotism occurs when public officials favor their relatives or close friends in matters of hiring, promotion, or awarding contracts, regardless of their qualifications. This can lead to the misallocation of resources and unfair advantages.

In exchange for MENENDEZ’s promise to use his power and authority to facilitate such sales and financing to Egypt, NADINE MENENDEZ was put on the payroll of a company in a low-or-no-show job.

Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when public officials make decisions that could personally benefit them, their family members, or their associates, rather than acting in the best interests of the public. Failing to disclose and manage such conflicts is an abuse of trust.

 MENENDEZ secretly edited and ghost-wrote a letter on behalf of Egypt seeking to convince other U.S. Senators to release a hold on $300 million in aid to Egypt.

MENENDEZ disclosed non-public information about the United States’s provision of military aid to Egypt.

Abuse of Power

Public officials may abuse their authority by using it to intimidate, harass, or discriminate against individuals or groups, often to suppress dissent or maintain their own control.

MENENDEZ sought from the State Department non-public information regarding the number and nationality of persons serving at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.

MENENDEZ promised to and did use his influence and power and breach his official duty to seek to disrupt a criminal investigation and prosecution undertaken by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office related to JOSE URIBE, the defendant, and his associates.