Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Dec. 7, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
The Mercedes is nice. But what really glitters in this case is gold. Gold is a theme in multiple James Bond films. There was "Goldeneye." "Goldfinger" was a hit in 1964. The "Man with the Golden Gun" arrived a decade later. But if a jury convicts Menendez, a new title may emerge — "The Senator with the Golden Bars."
Menendez is alleged to have scored 13 gold bars in exchange for helping one of the businessmen secure access to a development project in Qatar. Attorneys for the government say they have proof Menendez googled the price of gold.
If found guilty, political observers could deem the Menendez affair "From Qatar With Love." And don’t forget that Menendez was just on trial seven years ago in an unrelated bribery case. That case ended in a hung jury. This isn’t "You Only Live Twice." If there’s a hung jury again, perhaps the appropriate title is "You’re Only Tried Twice."
There are often parallels in politics. But in this scenario, the trials of the New Jersey Democrat and Mr. Trump are perpendicular.
Travel one block west on Worth Street from the Moynihan courthouse and hang a hard right. You’ll find yourself at 100 Centre St. That’s home to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. That’s where former President Trump is on trial in his hush money case involving Stormy Daniels.
Trump speaks to the media May 13. (Seth Wenig/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Johnson’s appearance had multiple goals. First, this was an extension of the speaker’s sojourn to Mar-a-Lago a few weeks ago to tout an election integrity effort alongside Trump. Secondly, Johnson is trying to remain in the best graces of the volatile former president. Don’t forget that Johnson survived an effort to oust him just last week by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Even though Johnson retained the speakership, there are certainly some conservative factions who are disappointed in him.
They oppose his spending pact with Democrats, his efforts to renew a controversial overseas spying program that sometimes sweeps up information about Americans and the bill to aid Ukraine. So, Johnson is certainly trying to flex his MAGA bona fides.
But in another respect, this is about political stability for Johnson and congressional Republicans.
Mr. Trump is likely his party’s nominee for the fall. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., won’t lead the GOP next year, regardless of whether they’re in the majority or minority. McConnell’s now endorsed the former president. But there’s no love lost between the Kentucky Republican and Trump. The only reason Johnson survived Greene’s gambit to unseat him was because of Democratic votes. That’s not optimal. But it beats chaos. So, part of the strategy by Johnson is to keep the party unified.
And as long as he and Trump are on the same page, it helps Johnson maintain the speakership. If Johnson disappears, Republicans will have a monster of a challenge electing a speaker next year — if they’re in the majority.
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Truman Capote wrote, "I love New York. Even though it isn’t mine."
New York is not necessarily the province of these lawmakers. New York is the center of the universe. Not the center of politics.
But with these major trials unfolding just feet from one another in Manhattan, the political center of gravity appears to have shifted north from Washington, D.C., for now.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
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