US Congressman Menendez Found Guilty of Bribery... Likely to Become First Korean-American Federal Senator

Bob Menendez Found Guilty on 16 Counts of Bribery
Senate Challenger Andy Kim Likely to Win November Election

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (Democrat, New Jersey), a member of the Democratic Party, who was indicted on bribery charges, has been found guilty. This significantly increases the possibility of the first Korean-American becoming a U.S. federal senator.

On the 16th (local time), a jury at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, New York, found Menendez guilty on all 16 criminal charges brought against him.

Previously, in September last year, prosecutors criminally charged Menendez and his wife with bribery, violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and other offenses. Menendez was accused of passing diplomatic information to facilitate contracts between a businessman who bribed him and foreign governments.

During the indictment process, authorities seized 13 gold bars worth approximately $100,000 and $550,000 in cash from Menendez’s residence. In addition to cash and gold bars, Menendez reportedly received a Mercedes-Benz passenger car as a bribe and had part of his mortgage paid off by the businessmen.

Menendez, who has served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey for nearly 20 years since 2006, has maintained his innocence and retained his seat despite internal party pressure to resign following the indictment. Until now, he had expressed his intention to run in the upcoming November federal Senate election even as an independent, but this guilty verdict is expected to impose significant restrictions.

On the other hand, with Menendez’s guilty verdict, Andy Kim, a Korean-American U.S. Representative who became the first to challenge for a U.S. Senate seat, has a greater chance of being elected as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey in the November election.

Kim, a three-term U.S. Representative from New Jersey, was the first to declare his candidacy for the Senate seat immediately after Menendez was indicted on bribery charges late last year. Last month, he was confirmed as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate election in the New Jersey primary. The Republican Party has not won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey since 1972, making Kim’s chances of winning in November highly likely. Previously, there had been concerns that if Menendez ran as an independent in November, he might split the Democratic vote, which was considered an obstacle.