Menendez requests acquittal following conviction

Some politicians allow their positions to go to their heads, and others, allow it to go to their pocketbooks. Such is the case with a recently resigned New Jersey senator who has been convicted of more than one miscarriage of his position.

A federal judge has been urged by Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), along with two fresh Jersey businessmen who were found guilty of bribing him last month, to either overturn their convictions or provide a fresh trial, as The Hill reported.

The senator from the Democratic party asserted that his 16-count conviction on counts ranging from bribery to serving as a foreign agent was brought about by the "high-profile" character of the case, even if the evidence was "surprisingly thin."

He said that the prosecution had failed to prove that he had agreed to exchange his political influence for expensive presents from Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, and a third businessman who had pled guilty prior to the trial, all of whom were businessmen. Instead, he had presented what he called "speculation masked as inference."

Making His Case

In addition, he stated that the "speech or debate" clause, which grants politicians some immunity, was "walked all over" by the prosecution. The question might land before the Supreme Court, if the case goes forward.

“These convictions will make terrible, dangerous law,” Menendez attorney Adam Fee wrote in the 52-page motion filed Monday. “All of Senator Menendez’s convictions must be reversed.”

A jury in Manhattan found Menendez and his co-defendants guilty of all charges after a two-month federal corruption trial.

In an interview with reporters following his conviction, the senator from New Jersey affirmed his innocence, saying, " I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country.”

The Senator's Position

On Tuesday, he is set to step down from his position as chair of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is currently facing decades in prison.

Several prominent Democrats, such as New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, demanded that he resign following the guilty conviction.

This year, Menendez's seat is up for election, and Murphy is responsible for selecting a temporary substitute.

The senator dropped his long-shot candidacy last week following the conviction; he had expected to run independently for reelection in November. The senator's sentencing is set for October 29th.