The Senator Menendez scandal and a time of declining institutional prestige in America
After a long investigation, the federal prosecutor for the Manhattan District of New York City issued an indictment for bribery against Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, his wife, and some of those involved with them, including an Egyptian businessman.
The strange thing about the case is that when searching Bob’s home at the beginning of the investigation, “large stacks of hundred-dollar bills were found stuffed in his jacket along with two pure gold bars.” The bribe also included, according to the prosecution, a “Mercedes convertible” and lavish gifts for his wife.
It is estimated that, by virtue of his position as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate, he in return provided services to the owners of these bids, including the Egyptian government. An unprecedented scandal that shook the Democratic Party and the White House with the timing of its exposure at the beginning of the election campaign.
America is not immune from political and financial corruption, even if it is twisted. Some forms of it have been known over the past hundred years, and it has always been “inherent to the work and activities of the political machine,” according to a study conducted by Harvard Law School, the author of which, Mariano Florentino, says: “Big interests have corrupted politicians by bribing them with in-kind contributions and benefits, such as granting them a share in a company.” In exchange for the donor obtaining privileges in his relations and dealings with government departments. But this pattern ended and was replaced by the process of financing election campaigns, which became unlimited, in addition to the proliferation of various lobbies or pressure centers. Corruption creeps through these entrances. Here the senator was threatened with a maximum of 35 years in prison if the court convicted him in this unique case. Of course, he denied and quickly denied the accusation, but the responses reinforced suspicions.
Senate Majority Leader, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, called on him to immediately step down as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. The governor of his state, New Jersey, also called on him to resign from the Senate.
However, the senator’s excesses have another side that explains this scandalous tendency to accept gifts and gold and surrender to the temptations of personal and electoral money. Recently, a general impression has prevailed that there is a degree of permissibility of official institutions in general, and implicitly in the law, the manifestations of which have accumulated as a result of putting partisanship and individualism before the Constitution, which has led to a kind of paralysis and deterioration in ethics and practices within some institutions, especially in Congress. With the invasion of the latter in January 2021 and its passage so far without widespread accountability except for some rulings issued against a number of participants, confidence in these authorities declined and their prestige diminished.
Congress is the factory of laws. Its level of trust among Americans is only 19%, and even the Pentagon dropped from 70% five years ago to 48%. The most important and dangerous thing is that the Supreme Court has dropped confidence in it to 40%, which is considered the main safety valve for rights and freedoms and the first and last guardian of the law. One of its nine judges, Clarence Thomas, was recently exposed with huge scandals that ranged from travel on his billionaire friend’s plane, staying in luxury hotels at the latter’s expense, and accepting financial aid for his relatives without declaring it to the tax department. This includes a double violation. Stories continue to come about his behavior, and have raised objections in Congress with demands to enact reform laws to control behavior in this court that is decisive in its rulings, especially after it became clear that most of its judges accepted submissions, even if less than Judge Thomas, but they fall into the category of using the site for gains, even if Simple, private jet-type travel and paid accommodation.
This scene indicates an unusual defect, which has persisted in recent years. Today, Senator Pope’s scandal confirms his depth. In all of its episodes, the finger of blame is pointed at the “political machine” and its accounts are often given to the regularity and integrity of the institutions’ work. This is what the 2020 elections embodied. There is a fear that it will be repeated in 2024. Therefore, many observers and historians (such as Michael Beschloss and Jon Meacham) warn of the danger of the moment, as “American democracy hangs in the balance.”
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2023-09-23 06:41:13
