There’s no sympathy for Bob Menendez at all; however, all things considered, he was convicted of doing the same thing that every Senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee does, and the same thing that Joe Biden did for decades… Sell the influence of their office to foreign countries. They all do it.

The difference with Senator Bob Menendez was only that he was so open about doing it, and he dropped all the pretenses that usually provide the plausible deniability factor. Today the judge sentenced him to 11-years in federal prison.

WASHINGTON – […] A jury in July found Menendez, along with Edgewater developer Fred Daibes and Egyptian American businessman Wael Hana, guilty on all charges related to the bribery scheme. Daibes was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $1.75 million. Hana was sentenced to a little more than eight years in prison and fined $1.3 million. Menendez was not fined for his part in the corruption.

The trial hinged on accusations that Menendez used his political might to influence criminal investigations involving the two businessmen and helped direct billions in U.S. aid to Egypt to bolster their business dealings. In exchange, Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, received gifts including gold bars, cash and luxury cars.

Menendez, 71, represented New Jersey for more than 18 years in the U.S. Senate. He resigned in August after the convictions. (read more)