Media Stops Embargoing Coverage of Menendez Corruption Trial Just Long Enough to Say The Jury is Hung

Good thing they didn't report on all the corrupt money and trips flowing to Menendez and the big favors (like agitating for the government to give his "friend" millions in overbilled Medicaid charges), but only now nutshell it as "jury could not come to a conclusion on the charges, whatever they were (and don't worry about what they were, Ignorant Citizen)."

So, the Democrat cultists who voted to acquit him (I'm guessing they're Democrats) may have relied on a Supreme Court decision in the McDonnell corruption case stating that only quids directly linked to a quo count as corruption.

In this case, Menendez' "pal" Meglen plied him with lots of money and free jet rides to exotic locales, building up what you could be called "markers" to be called in later. But because these markers were not expressly, at the time they were handed out, stated to be For the Specific Purpose of Corrupt Action X, but were left blank, allowing Melgen to call them in for any favor, then it's... not bribery?

That makes no sense and essentially writes "bribery" out of the US Code entirely.

The prosecution attempted to argue their way around this stating that a "stream of inducements" (cash, plane rides, stays in scenic villas) resulted in a stream of favors, linking a "stream" of quids with a stream of quos; but I guess the cultish Democrats, pledged to #TheResistance voted to acquit him because, as CNN "Republican" Anna Navarro said, Bob Menendez is "part of the family."

Some tough questions here -- how do we make bribery a crime again, and how do we keep it a specific enough crime that not every donor who comes calling for a favor at a later date is part of a bribery scheme? Because, let's face it, many donors who fork over more than a thousand bucks or so do expect not just an ideological result of their donation, but a personal favor to be called in at a later date. Maybe they don't have any specific request at the time of the donation, but if they find government hostile to something they want later on, they're gonna expect their Pet Senators to do something.

Also, kudos to the media for not reporting on this story at all until they could claim some (inconclusive) vindiction for a fellow corrupt Democrat.

Oh, and speaking of bribes: Why won't Glenn Simpson open his books to allow Congress to see if his business included cash money payments to "journalists" for running his stories?

Oh, I Forgot: Below, Bob Menendez threatens to "remember" those Democrats who thought he was guilty of bribery. Which is a dangerous thing, given that he's a Senator still, and has shown a propensity to lobby for government to take action in his or his "pal's" interests.

posted by Ace at 04:32 PM

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