Law Professor Jonathan Turley Says Senator Bob Menendez Faces a ‘Crushing’ Prison Sentence, Will Likely Die in Prison

The renowned law professor Jonathan Turley has said that New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.

On Tuesday, Menendez was convicted of all counts at his corruption trial, where he denied charges that he had accepted bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businessmen and worked as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt.

Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, is now predicting that Menendez will face a “crushing” prison sentence that he may not even survive.

He wrote on the X platform:

The conviction of Sen. Menendez in Washington is monumental. He was one of the untouchables. Despite long being viewed as corrupt, Menendez wielded power with abandon for his own benefit.

The problem was the defense theory. Menendez tried to convince the jury that this was a “Cuban thing.” They clearly viewed it as a “corruption thing.”

The images of gold bars and cash stuffed in clothes is difficult to overcome with a cultural claim. Yet, this conviction is an indictment of the Washington establishment. Menendez was always viewed as a corrupt figure but he was still given powerful positions that he used for corrupt purposes.

Sentencing is likely to be crushing. He will face an aggravator as someone who betrayed an office of public trust. He has little to offer in terms of mitigators. While the counts will run concurrently, he is facing at a long likely sentence. At his age, a long term could be a terminal sentence.

The conviction of Sen. Menendez in Washington is monumental. He was one of the untouchables. Despite long being viewed as corrupt, Menendez wielded power with abandon for his own benefit…

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 16, 2024

Despite being convicted on all charges, Menendez has so far refused to resign from the Senate and has even registered as an independent candidate in November’s election.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called on him to resign with immediate effect. “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” he wrote on the X platform.

In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2024

This couldn’t be happening to a nicer man.