Bob Menendez verdict undermines Republican conspiracy theories

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The evidence prosecutors compiled against Sen. Bob Menendez was rather dramatic. With this in mind, few observers were shocked by the outcome of the New Jersey Democrat’s criminal trial. My MSNBC colleague Jordan Rubin explained: Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., was found guilty on all 16 counts on Tuesday in his criminal corruption trial of bribery, acting as a foreign agent and other charges. The jury deliberated for 12.5 hours over three days. The senator — who, as of today, is still running for re-election in the Garden State — does not appear to have a bright political future. Menendez will no doubt appeal the verdict, but in the meantime, Senate Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have begun calling for him to resign. What’s more, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued a statement Tuesday afternoon that went a little further. “If he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel him,” the Democratic governor said. We’ll learn soon enough what course Menendez intends to take, but in the meantime, it’s also worth pausing to appreciate the larger pattern that’s unfolded in recent months. The Justice Department, under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland, has: For good measure, it’s probably worth mentioning that the Justice Department also appears to be investigating Eric Adams, the high-profile Democratic mayor of New York City. And did I mention that Biden’s Justice Department dropped its investigation into Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, rather than file charges? Because that happened, too. A neutral political observer might see this and be tempted to conclude that Biden’s Justice Department is unfairly targeting Democrats. And yet, one of the animating concepts in contemporary Republican politics is that rascally Democrats have “weaponized” federal law enforcement to punish GOP figures and shield Democrats from accountability. The Justice Department and the FBI, leading Republican voices insist, are little more than political tools for the Biden White House and its fiendish allies. As we’ve discussed, Republicans don’t just want their conspiracy theory to be true; they need it to be true. This simple, ridiculous idea is at the center of the party’s Trump defense, fundraising, stump speeches, cable news segments, and even legislative campaigns on Capitol Hill. In 2024, assertions about a “two-tiered” justice system are foundational to Republican politics. They’re also routinely discredited by real-world events. Indeed, if Biden and his team were trying to weaponize federal law enforcement to benefit Democrats, they’ve proved themselves to be incredibly bad at it. This post updates our related earlier coverage.