PrintMarch 8, 2015
Cruz cites political motivations in prosecution of Menendez
Senator Ted Cruz told reporters at the Iowa Ag Summit that he believes the prosecution of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is politically motivated and that the White House is punishing Menendez for speaking against the Iran nuke treaty.
“The announcement this week by the Justice Department that they were bringing charges against Bob Menendez — I will point out that the timing seems awfully coincidental that … in the very week that Bob Menendez showed incredible courage to speak out and call out President Obama for the damage that his policy is doing to our national security … the Justice Department announces they’re moving forward with the criminal prosecution,” Cruz said.“It raises the suggestion to other Democrats that if you dare part from the Obama White House, that criminal prosecutions will be used potentially as a political weapon against you as well,” he added.Menendez has been a vocal critic of the White House as the Obama administration has sought to wrap up delicate talks with Iranian leaders over the future of their nuclear program.The issue came to a head on Capitol Hill last week when Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked the Obama administration in front of Congress for its strategy on Iran.On Friday, news broke that the Justice Department was preparing to bring criminal charges against Menendez.“The timing is curious,” Cruz continued. “This investigation has been going on for over a year and yet the very week they announce a pending indictment comes within hours after Sen. Menendez showing courage to speak out against President Obama’s dangerous foreign policy that is risking the national security of this country.”
Few would argue this White House is incapable of such an action, but the Senator should be a little more sure of his facts before making such a serious charge.
The Justice Department did not announce the imminent indictment of Menendez. CNN broke the story on Friday, using an anonymous source in the Justice Department. Same thing? A very real possibility, but we just don't know.
And while questioning the timing of the news, it's well to remember that the investigation goes back more than a year - as Cruz claims. In fact, the initial probe into Menendez's activities goes back to 2012, and involves a shady pay for play arrangement the Senator had with a Miami doctor.
A major reason the indictment is being handed down now is that the statutue of limitations is attached to some of the charges. Also, the Senator himself has not tried to tie the charges to his opposition to the Obama administration's Iran negotiations or their policy on Cuba. Perhaps he's saving that charge for later, but it's curious that the "victim" in this supposed politically motivated prosection wouldn't be shouting his suspicions to the heavens.
So while Cruz states the case for a politically motivated prosecution, the facts suggest coincidence. You can't dismiss the notion entirely, but unless information surfaces to the contrary, it appears that the prosection is more about a crooked Senator than a brave opponent of Obama's policies.
