U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamal Semper at his hearing for a federal judgeship in Washington D.C. earlier today.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I’m a firm believer that our independent judiciary must reflect the best of America’s values and its citizens,” Menendez said before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Which is why I can honestly say that Jamel Semper’s relentless commitment to public service combined with his temperament and the trust he has built with New Jerseyans – all of it is exactly what we look for in a federal judge.”
Menendez personally recommended Semper, a public servant who has devoted his career to keeping New Jerseyans safe as a prosecutor, for this position.
Last month, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Semper, the deputy chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and he immediately showcased support from Menendez, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8), and Gov. Phil Murphy (D).
Semper began his career in the Violent Crimes Unit at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and has since held the positions of head of the Newark Violent Crime Unit, Chief of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit, and Chief of the Violent Crime Unit.
Of course, since Semper’s nomination, Bob Menendez has been hit with a three-count federal indictment alleging he peddled his influence in exchange for bribes from New Jersey businessmen.
Federal prosecutors charged Bob Menendez his wife with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color and official right.
They are accused of having a “corrupt relationship” with Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes. Those three are charged with the first two counts.
Bob Menendez is also accused of trading government secrets with the country of Egypt to help secure a U.S. Department of Agriculture contract with Hana’s halal meat company.
Overall, the indictment charges that the Menendezes accepted corrupt payments for their mortgage, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300, $486,471 in cash, another $79,760 from the safe deposit box, two one-kilogram gold bars, and 11 one-ounce gold bars.
They have all pleaded not guilty and the senator’s trial date has been set for just under a month before the June 4th, 2024 U.S. Senate primary, but that will almost certainly change well before then.
The situation continues to get more dire, with NBC New York reporting that the FBI is investigating if Egyptian counter intelligence was involved and The Record breaking the story this morning that Nadine Menendez was involved in a fatal crash in Bogota back in 2018, before she married New Jersey’s senior senator.
The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York and U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger, of New Jersey, recused himself due to his friendship with Menendez.
This man is incredibly tone deaf
What’s it say about a nominee that a crooked politician thinks you’d go along with tilting the scale of justice as a favor? If I was sempel, I would decline the nominations to avoid being associated with Menendez.