Sen. Bob Menendez hires Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell in bribery case

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has recruited Abbe Lowell, the lawyer representing Hunter Biden against his tax and firearm charges, to represent his federal bribery case.

Lowell and Menendez’s history dates back to 2015, when the senator was charged with allegedly accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political favors. Menendez hired Lowell for that case and was acquitted on several charges, with the Justice Department dropping the counts against him in January 2018.

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Although Lowell is representing President Joe Biden‘s son on his federal charges as well as a civil suit against a former Trump administration aide for allegedly hacking into Hunter Biden’s phone data, he has also helped former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner with obtaining a permanent White House security clearance.

Lowell became the lead attorney handling the younger Biden’s matters this summer after a plea deal between prosecutors fell apart under scrutiny from Judge Maryellen Noreika in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

Chris Clark, then-head attorney to the younger Biden’s team, withdrew from the case in August because he could be called in as a witness in future cases involving the failed plea deal he negotiated with David Weiss, who was named as special counsel to the Hunter Biden investigation on Aug. 11.

Decades ago, Lowell was also a special assistant to the attorney general in the Carter administration and went on to be the chief minority counsel during impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, presenting Clinton’s defense in front of the House Judiciary Committee in 1998.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Other notable figures Lowell has represented include former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and celebrity clients such as actor Steven Seagal and musician Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. Lowell’s representation of Menendez was revealed by Law360.

Menendez, his wife, Nadine, New Jersey real estate mogul Fred Daibes, and two other business associates were indicted on corruption charges by federal prosecutors last week, alleging the senator partook in an influence-peddling scheme involving the Egyptian government.

Investigators in June of last year conducted a search of Menendez’s home in New Jersey and found $100,000 worth of gold bars, nearly $500,000 in cash, with much of it filled into “envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe.” Investigators also discovered a brand-new Mercedes-Benz C 300 convertible.

Menendez has temporarily stepped down since the indictment as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but refuses to resign from the Senate despite pressure from Democratic colleagues in the chamber and in his home state. The senator maintains his innocence and claims the prosecution against him is unfair.

“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,” he said in a statement. “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.”

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The senator will be holding a press conference on Monday at 11:30 a.m. to provide a status on his situation since the indictment. Defendants in the case are slated to appear in Manhattan federal court Wednesday morning.

The Washington Examiner contacted Lowell for comment.