The end of the road seems imminent for U.S. Senator Bob Menendez from New Jersey, who is an extreme manifestation of anti-Türkiye sentiment.
A political star began to rise when he joined the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993, Menendez, often referred to as "Gold Bar Bob" in the media, saw his career crumble after his marriage to Nadine Arslanian in 2020. Allegations arose that he received bribes in exchange for leveraging his influence in the U.S. Senate, facilitated through his wife's connections with Egyptian intelligence officials.
Even more strikingly, Menendez was found to have conducted Google searches such as "How much is a gold bar worth?" in connection with these bribery charges.
And now, gold bars, bundles of money and connections with Egypt could mark the ultimate conclusion of Menendez's political journey, as he has been the most unwavering opponent of enhancing Turkish-American relations in the U.S. Senate.
The mounting graft allegations against Menendez spanned a wide range of items, including fitness equipment and luxury automobiles. These charges, coupled with his strong connections to influential Greek and Armenian lobbies based in the U.S., both financially influential groups with considerable political clout, have understandably given rise to skepticism regarding his enduring anti-Turkish position.
The U.S. senator has long opposed the potential sale of the F-16s to Türkiye, raising concerns that encompass Ankara's failure to endorse Sweden's NATO membership, allegations related to human rights, and the tensions between Türkiye and Greece.
Menendez's stance is not merely a temporary bout of Türkiye criticism: He is an American politician who considers his anti-Türkiye position a defining aspect of his career. It is not surprising for a democrat to be anti-Türkiye but Menendez was anti-Türkiye even when it is against the U.S. interests both politically and financially. Now we understand better why he was able to put his “golden” interests above his country.
In his resignation statement as chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez once again invoked Türkiye, reaffirming his longstanding hostility toward our country.
Although Menendez's removal from a prominent position in the U.S. Senate represents a significant development for Türkiye, the story does not end there. Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, who announced Menendez's resignation from the committee chairpersonship, belongs to a similar network of Türkiye adversaries. Schumer could not hide his disappointment and stated that Menendez was "a dedicated public servant who always fought fiercely for the people of New Jersey."
On the other hand, Menendez's influential colleagues like Cory Booker and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continue to call for his resignation as a representative of New Jersey too.
While it is a common notion that money plays a significant role in U.S. politics, Menendez's ordeal in the Senate will also expose the extent of corruption within this power structure.
