George Helmy appointed and sworn in to finish Menendez term

The unending stream of salacious drama that rips through Washington D.C. strikes again as former New Jersey sees a longtime member of their delegation replaced following a conviction for an egregious miscarriage of justice.

Newly minted Sen. George Helmy (D-N.J.)  was sworn in on Monday to serve the remaining term of former Sen. Bob Menendez, as The Hill reported.

Helmy, who formerly served as chief of staff to Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, was nominated by Murphy to succeed Menendez, who gave his resignation from the Senate last month following his conviction on counts of bribery and foreign agent behavior.

Last fall, Menendez was indicted in a broad corruption case that accused him of accepting bribes to three businessmen and of acting as an agent for Egypt and Qatar. He was preparing to run for another six-year term in the Senate at the time.

The New Senator

While Senator Patty Murray of Washington administered the oath of office, Helmy stood next to his new colleague Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Prior to his recent appointment, Helmy also served as Booker's state director.

As the two Democrats from New Jersey embraced following the administration of the oath, the chamber erupted in applause.

“I just want to say a word of congratulations to our new senator,” Schumer said on the Senate floor, following his oath.

“He’s going to be a great addition, and it’s another ceiling being broken. He is the first member of the Coptic Church to become a senator in the United States of America,” he said, noting it’s “one of the oldest Christian denominations ever. So welcome.”

Menendez Career

Menendez denied the allegations and rejected numerous requests from his own party members to resign during the legal process.

He ultimately decided to attempt to run as an independent, despite his poor approval rating following his indictment, after passing on the Democratic nomination for another term.

Menendez declared his resignation from the Senate and subsequently abandoned his independent campaign after being convicted of all 16 charges.

He has expressed his intention to file an appeal against the decision.