Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon has no sympathy for former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, mocking his “pathetic groveling to [President Donald] Trump” after he received an 11-year sentence from U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein.
“I was going to leave it be, but his pathetic groveling to Trump without an ounce of contrition just highlighted the entitled, endemic culture of corruption in New Jersey politics that must be brought to an end. Good riddance,” Solomon told HCV.
Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York had sought a 15-year sentence, while Menendez’s legal team sought eight years after his co-defendants, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, were sentenced to seven and eight years, respectively.
During a brief appearance outside of the federal courthouse in Manhattan, Menendez made a clear appeal to Trump just before exiting, declining to answer questions about if he was seeking a pardon.
“Trump was right. This process is political, and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system,” the former senior senator for New Jersey said.
Former NJ Sen. Bob Menendez reacts after sentencing: “Trump was right. This process is political, and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.”pic.twitter.com/WFBSqVGeXV
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) January 29, 2025
Solomon, a candidate for mayor, joined the likes of Gov. Phil Murphy (D), Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla in calling on Menendez to resign in July after he was found guilty on all 16 counts.
His case of course received national attention, given the salacious nature of the charges, being convicted of accepting gold bars, cash, and a new car in exchange for intervening in matters for Daibes and Hana.
Menendez was also convicted of acting as a foreign agent to Egypt and trying to help facilitate a development deal between the Qatar government and Daibes.
Fulop, a Democratic candidate for governor, has been feuding with Menendez for the better part of the past two decades, beginning with losing a challenge to then-U.S. Rep. Bob Menendez in the June 8th, 2004 primary.
“20 years ago… I ran against Bob Menendez for Congress (articles below) bc nobody else was willing to do it – so I stepped up. It was brutal and I got 12% of the vote…. Today he will be sentenced to prison time for bribery,” he wrote on X today.
“Today is a big day – A chapter closes for NJ (+ for me). Change in NJ takes time – after the last year of change in NJ with the party line and now more engaged voters than ever – the next steps for NJ in change will be far quicker!”
Thus far, reactions from New Jersey electeds on Menendez’s sentencing have been few and far between, with Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), who ran for the seat before Menendez dropped out of the race (and later resigned from office), weighing in.