Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty of corruption

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was found guilty Tuesday of 16 charges related to corruption, fraud and working as an agent for the Egyptian government.

Menendez, who filed for reelection last month, now faces years in prison that will affect his political career. That's already been made clear by Senate Majority Leader and fellow Democrat Chuck Schumer.

"In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Schumer wrote on X.

According to the prosecution, the 70-year-old senator from New Jersey used his power and influence when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit himself, along with his wife Nadine Arslanian, businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe, doing favors in exchange for bribes, AFP reported. 

It all began in 2022 when authorities found $486,000 in cash and another $100,000 in gold during a raid on his home, prompting the prosecution to charge him with federal bribery.

More than 30 witnesses were called to the stand in the trial, and dozens of text messages were among the evidence presented by the prosecution to shore up this "large-scale corruption scheme."

Similarly, Axios recalled that "Menendez was previously indicted on unrelated federal bribery and corruption charges in 2015. The case ultimately ended in a mistrial in 2017."