Senator Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) has enlisted Abbe Lowell, the lawyer representing Hunter Biden in his tax and firearm cases, to tackle his own federal corruption charges in court.
Lowell previously represented the embattled lawmaker in 2015, when Menendez was charged with allegedly accepting illegal gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political favors. He was acquitted on several charges, and the Justice Department dropped the remaining charges against the senator in January 2018.
However, the Senate Ethics Committee “severely admonished” Menendez later in 2018 for his conduct, accusing him of accepting valuable gifts from the ophthalmologist while exploiting his Senate influence to advance the doctor’s interests.
While the attorney is working for Hunter Biden, he has also defended some associates of former president Trump. During the Trump administration, Lowell assisted Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner with obtaining a permanent White House security clearance.
Over the summer, Lowell got involved in the Hunter Biden case when the sweetheart plea deal the president’s sons attorneys first tried to negotiate with the Biden Justice Department collapsed under legal scrutiny. Christopher Clark, the then-head of Hunter’s legal team, in August asked to withdraw from the case because he could be called in as a witness in future litigation involving the failed plea deal he brokered with prosecutors. Clark’s departure opened the door for Lowell to step in.
Last week, Menendez, his wife, New Jersey real estate mogul Fred Daibes, and two other business associates were indicted on corruption charges by federal prosecutors in an influence-peddling scheme involving Egypt.
Led by Southern District of New York attorney Damian Williams, in June 2022, investigators conducted a search of Menendez’s residence in New Jersey and found $100,000 worth of gold bars, nearly half a million dollars in cash, “much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe,” and a brand new Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible.
Since the scandal, Menendez has temporarily stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but has refused to resign from the Senate amid pressure from Democratic colleagues in the chamber and in New Jersey.
Menendez has maintained that he is being unfairly prosecuted because of his race.
“Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” Menendez said. “This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”
The senator will conduct a press conference Monday to give updates on his situation. Menendez, his wife, and their co-defendants are supposed to be in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday morning.