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☆ The Mrs. defense: powerful men blaming their wives
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Alito said in a written statement to The New York Times, which first reported the story this week. A Supreme Court justice being unmasked as having a partisan tilt wouldn’t be illegal – just awkward and icky. Shannon Stapleton/ReutersCouples behaving badlyFormer Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, pioneered the Mrs. defense when he and his wife were both accused of funneling campaign funds for private use. A unanimous US Supreme Court, including Alito, later vacated the governor’s conviction and narrowed the scope by which prosecutors can pursue bribery allegations. The Mrs. defense could conceivably be turned on its head and used by a powerful woman to blame her husband.

Persons: Samuel Alito doesn’t, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Alito, “, ” Alito, Ann, Alito won’t, Clarence Thomas ’, Ginni, Thomas, Menendez ‘, Sen, Bob Menendez, Nadine, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Menendez’s, Shannon Stapleton, Duncan Hunter, Margaret, Trump, Henry Cuellar, Imelda, ”, . Cuellar, Jesse Jackson Jr, Sandra, Bob McDonnell, Maureen, Cori Bush, Bush, Kim Taylor, Jeremy Taylor Organizations: CNN, New York Times, House, New, New Jersey Democrat, California Republican, Texas Democrat, Illinois Democrat, Former Virginia Gov, Republican, Missouri Democrat, Supervisors Locations: New Jersey, New York, Manhattan, New York City, California, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Washington, Iowa, Woodbury County

Senator Robert Menendez’s bribery trial got underway this week in a Manhattan courtroom eight months after he was first indicted on corruption charges. The government has brought a complicated set of accusations against Mr. Menendez, 70. “This case is about a public official who put greed first,” said Lara Pomerantz, an assistant U.S. attorney. “A public official who put his own interests above his duty to the people. Who put his power up for sale.”Two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, are on trial with Mr. Menendez, accused of plying him with bribes.

Persons: Robert Menendez’s, Menendez, ”, Lara Pomerantz, “, Who, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, Nadine Menendez Locations: Manhattan, Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, New Jersey, U.S

☆ Modi's strongman rule raises questions about India's 'democratic decline' as he seeks a third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, center, during a campaign rally in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA decade into power, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to secure a rare third term, with the general elections now underway. Opposition 'witch hunt'Ahead of the elections, India's main opposition — the National Congress party — accused the Modi government of freezing its bank accounts. "This is a criminal action on the Congress party done by the prime minister and the home minister," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a fiery attack. "During Manmohan Singh's time, India was also growing very fast," he added, referring to the economic reforms under the former prime minister in the 1990s.

Persons: Narendra Modi, India's, Modi, Prakash Singh, Asim Ali, Ali, Milan, Modi's, —, Rahul Gandhi, Chietigj Bajpaee, Arvind Kejriwal, consecrating, Ronojoy Sen, Neelanjan Sircar, Manmohan Singh's, Sircar Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, India's, East, CNBC, Dem, Freedom House, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Newsweek, Bharatiya Janata Party, National Congress, South Asia, Chatham House, Aam Aadmi Party, Modi's BJP, BJP, Institute of South Asian Studies, Centre for Policy Research Locations: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, East Asia, New Delhi, Sweden, U.S, Milan Vaishnav, South Asia, Gujarat, Ali, Delhi, Lok, Ayodhya, Ayodhya —, BJP

☆ Take My Wife, Please: For Political Damage Control, Just Blame Your Spouse
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Rebecca Davis O Brien | Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is a tale as old as Adam and Eve: A husband, faced with accusations of misconduct, blames the wife. It is also a time-honored, bipartisan political strategy. This week, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey pointed ringed fingers at their wives for episodes that have landed each man in political or legal trouble. The justice’s wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was in a feud with neighbors at the time over an anti-Trump sign, The Times reported. In the case of Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, it was his lawyer who did the finger pointing.

Persons: Adam, Samuel A, Alito Jr, Bob Menendez, Alito, ”, Donald J, Trump’s, Biden’s, Martha, Ann Alito, Menendez, Avi Weitzman Organizations: Bob Menendez of New, New York Times, Times, Democrat Locations: Bob Menendez of, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Manhattan

☆ Senator Menendez’s Wife Is Being Treated for Breast Cancer
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Tracey Tully | Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, a lawyer representing Senator Robert Menendez in his bribery trial painted a picture of a marriage cloaked in secrecy and deception, casting the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, as an opportunist who traded on his name. Less than 24 hours later, Mr. Menendez was projecting a new message: He was a protective husband asking for privacy for his wife, who, he revealed for the first time, was being treated for breast cancer. “We are of course concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease,” Mr. Menendez, 70, said in the statement. “We hope and pray for the best results.”The timing of the announcement, issued by his Senate office, punctuated a remarkable first week of trial. And the revelation served to shine a newly intense spotlight on a couple whose fates are intertwined — but whose priorities may not be.

Persons: Robert Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Menendez, Mr

☆ Jury Selection in Menendez Trial Stretches Into a Third Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jury selection in the corruption trial of Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey stretched into a third day on Wednesday, as a judge prepared to seat a dozen citizens who will soon weigh one of the most serious sets of charges ever brought against a sitting senator. The judge, Sidney H. Stein, spent much of Tuesday questioning dozens of potential jurors from New York City and Westchester County, quizzing them on their professions, experiences with the criminal justice system and preferred news sources. After hours in the Manhattan federal courtroom, he indicated a final panel was imminent. “We will be picking a jury by the end of the morning,” Judge Stein said late Tuesday, adding that he expected to begin opening statements quickly thereafter. Prosecutors will go first, offering jurors and the public a preliminary outline of a sprawling corruption and bribery case that involves $100,000 in gold bars, an Egyptian halal meat monopoly and a Qatari sheikh.

Persons: Robert Menendez, Sidney H, Stein, ” Judge Stein Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Robert Menendez of New Jersey, New York City, Westchester County, Manhattan, Qatari

☆ Live Updates: Opening Statements in Bribery Trial of Robert Menendez Begin
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | Ben Weiser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, second from left, sits with his children Alicia and Rob and Gov. Alicia and Rob Menendez have surely enjoyed the privileges of being children of a powerful political leader. After a former ally pleaded guilty and began cooperating with prosecutors, Senator Menendez and Nadine Menendez were additionally charged with obstructing justice. Alicia Menendez, 40, has been forced to address the charges against her father — and calls for his resignation — on live television. “When your close loved one is at the center of a political scandal,” she said, “it’s in your obit too.”

Persons: Robert Menendez, Alicia, Jon Corzine, Rob Menendez, Rob, Bob Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Menendez, Super Mario Bros, ”, —, Alicia Menendez, Sally Quinn, “ Organizations: Democrat, Rob, MSNBC, Democratic, Benz, Super, —, The Washington Post Locations: New Jersey, New Brunswick, N.J, Biden’s

☆ Menendez defense lawyer denies bribery scheme and says gold bars found at senator’s home belonged to his wife
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Menendez is not running for reelection in next month’s Democratic primary but has said he would consider an independent bid should he be exonerated. “Evidence will show Nadine’s family had a lot of gold,” Weitzman said, asserting that she did not discuss money with the senator and kept financial problems she had from him. Weitzman also said the gold bars were found in Nadine’s locked closet, which the senator didn’t have access to. The potential jurors – an array of New Yorkers, including pastors, a standup comedian and amateur musicians – were pressed on whether they could be unbiased and fairly consider testimony from law enforcement officers or convicted criminals. One potential juror spoke about being a “news junkie” who couldn’t sit on the trial because “I’ve learned about the case significantly.

Persons: CNN — Sen, Bob Menendez’s, “, ” Menendez, Avi Weitzman, Nadine, Menendez, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Donald, Lara Pomerantz, “ Robert Menendez, ” Pomerantz, Nadine Menendez, Weitzman, ” “, ”, ” Weitzman, Menendez “, ” Nadine, didn’t, Hana, whittle, “ I’ve, Sidney Stein, they’ve, ” Stein, Bob Menendez, Stein, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, I’m Organizations: CNN, New, New Jersey Democrat, Jersey businessmen, Democratic, United, White House, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Manhattan, New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, Jersey, Egyptian American, United States, Lebanon, Paris

☆ Sen. Robert Menendez bribery trial: Opening statements expected in corruption case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), arrives at Federal Court, for his bribery trial in connection with an alleged corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen, in New York City, U.S., May 14, 2024. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are poised Wednesday to select a full jury and deliver opening statements in the federal bribery trial of Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Prosecutors will begin their opening statements shortly afterward "if all goes to plan," the judge said. A third New Jersey businessman charged in the case, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty in March and agreed to cooperate with the federal prosecutors. Nadine Menendez has not been in court with her husband.

Persons: Robert Menendez, Sen, Sidney Stein, Stein, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Wael Hanna, Fred Daibes, Jose Uribe Organizations: Federal Court, Prosecutors, Robert Menendez of New, Democratic, Benz, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Locations: Jersey, New York City, U.S, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Manhattan, Egypt, Qatar, New Jersey

☆ Russia Detains Senior General, Widening Military Purge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian security agents detained a senior general early Tuesday, widening a purge of the country’s sprawling Defense Ministry amid President Vladimir V. Putin’s broader shake-up of his government. Lt. Gen. Yuri Kuznetsov, who oversaw the ministry’s personnel department, was detained on an accusation of “large-scale” bribery, Russia’s Investigative Committee, a federal law enforcement agency, said in a statement on Tuesday. His detention came after Mr. Putin unexpectedly removed his long-serving defense minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, from his post and replaced him with a member of his economic team. Prosecutors said General Kuznetsov received a bribe from “commercial interests” between 2021 and 2023, when he worked on the protection of state secrets at the Armed Forces’ General Staff. The prosecutors claimed that security agents discovered cash equivalent to $1 million and luxury items during a search of General Kuznetsov’s home.

Persons: Vladimir V, Yuri Kuznetsov, Putin, Sergei K, General Kuznetsov, Kuznetsov’s Organizations: Mr, Prosecutors, Armed Forces ’, Staff

☆ Putin axes defense minister, replaces him with an economist
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin replaced his longtime defense minister Sergei Shoigu with an economist Andrey Belousov. AdvertisementRussian leader Vladimir Putin is replacing his longtime defense minister Sergei Shoigu, 68, with an economist. On Sunday, Putin named former deputy prime minister and economic development minister Andrey Belousov, 65, as his new defense chief. Shoigu, who served as defense minister since 2012, now runs Russia's Security Council instead, taking over from Putin ally Nikolai Patrushev. Representatives for Russia's defense ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, Belousov, —, Dmitry Peskov, Shoigu, Nikolai Patrushev, Peskov, Timur Ivanov, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Shoigu's, It's, didn't Organizations: Sunday, Service, TASS, Russian Ministry of Defense, Security, Putin, Industrial Commission, CNN, BI Locations: Shoigu, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Sen. Menendez bribery trial starts with judge scolding lawyers on 'gamesmanship'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Robert Menendez arrives at the federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York, United States on May 13, 2024. A judge on Monday admonished attorneys for playing legal games shortly after they convened for the start of the federal bribery trial of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J."There's been too much gamesmanship here," Judge Sidney Stein told prosecutors and defense attorneys before jury selection began for the trial in federal court in Manhattan. His wife, Nadine Menendez, is also charged in the corruption case, but her trial was severed from her husband's due to what her lawyers said were medical issues. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York told Stein that they expect to lay out their case in four-and-a-half to six-and-a-half weeks. The trial itself could last around six to seven weeks, Stein told dozens of prospective jurors before giving them a rough outline the 18-count indictment against Menendez and his co-defendants.

Persons: Robert Menendez, Sen, There's, Sidney Stein, Stein, I'm, Menendez, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Jose Uribe, Prosecutors, Nadine Menendez, Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels Organizations: New, Senate Foreign Relations, Prosecutors, Attorney's, Southern, of, of New York, Manhattan Supreme Locations: Manhattan , New York, United States, Manhattan, New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, of New

☆ Jury selection begins in bribery case against Sen. Bob Menendez in New York
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jonathan Dienst | Dareh Gregorian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Jury selection begins Monday in the federal criminal trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who is charged with accepting "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in bribes — including some in gold bars — in return for official acts. It also alleges the couple received "gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle and other items of value," such as jewelry and exercise equipment. The other two, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, have pleaded not guilty and will stand trial alongside Menendez. The indictment noted a search of Menendez's home in 2022 turned up "two one-kilogram gold bars and nine one-ounce gold bars that had serial numbers indicating they had previously been possessed" by Daibes. The federal criminal trial is the second Menendez has faced since he was elected to the Senate in 2006.

Persons: . Sen, Bob Menendez, he's, Nadine Menendez, Damian Williams, Jose Uribe, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, Menendez, Daibes, Uribe, He's, Donald Trump Organizations: ., Senate Foreign Relations, Prosecutors, Southern, of New York, Government, Democratic, Senate, Democratic Party Locations: New Jersey, Qatar, Egypt, Hana, Cuba, Florida, Paris

☆ Robert Menendez’s Trial Is Set to Begin, With a Sprawling Web of Charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Tracey Tully | Benjamin Weiser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jury selection for Senator Robert Menendez’s corruption trial starts on Monday in a federal courthouse in Manhattan, a 20-mile drive from Mr. Menendez’s home in northern New Jersey, where for decades he has been a well-known Democratic political leader. His efforts to move the trial to his home turf failed. Jurors picked to decide the case will be from Manhattan, the Bronx or one of several New York counties north of the city. Mr. Menendez, 70, will be tried with two New Jersey businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. His wife, Nadine Menendez, 57, was also charged in the bribery scheme but will be tried separately, in July.

Persons: Robert Menendez’s, Menendez’s, Menendez, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, Nadine Menendez Organizations: Democratic, Prosecutors, U.S, Southern, of Locations: Manhattan, New Jersey, Bronx, New York, of New York, Qatari, Jersey

☆ Bob Menendez: Here’s what prosecutors say bought off a US senator
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here’s what prosecutors say the senator and his wife got:Gold barsProsecutors say Hana and Daibes gave Menendez and his wife gold bars, which were seized by the FBI from the Menendez residence. After returning from a trip to Egypt and getting a ride home from the airport from Daibes’ driver, prosecutors say Menendez searched online for the price of a gold bar. Nadine Menendez needed a new car, apparently after hitting and killing a jaywalker in Bogota, New Jersey, in December 2018. There is a long list of actions prosecutors say Menendez undertook in exchange for all of these alleged bribes. The envelopes of cash prosecutors say bore Daibes’ fingerprints may be more difficult to explain.

Persons: CNN — Democratic Sen, Bob Menendez, Mercedes, Menendez, CNN’s Manu Raju, “, ”, Nadine, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Jose Uribe, Daibes, Nadine Menendez’s, Nadine Menendez, Uribe, Hana, –, …, Qataris, retry Menendez, Salomon Melgen, Melgen, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN — Democratic, Bob Menendez of New, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Capitol, FBI, Court Southern District of, Prosecutors, Court Southern District of New York Prosecutors, Court Southern District of New York, Menendez, Uribe, Mercedes, Benz, Senate Foreign Relations, US Department of Agriculture, New York, of Justice Locations: Bob Menendez of, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, New Jersey, Daibes, Court Southern District of New York, Bogota , New Jersey, New

☆ Who Are Key Players in the Menendez Case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Tracey Tully | Benjamin Weiser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Who Are Key Players in the Menendez Case? Mr. Menendez goes to trial on May 13 with two of the businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. Fred Daibes New Jersey Real Estate Developer Mr. Daibes is accused of giving Mr. Menendez furniture, gold and cash. Nadine Menendez Mr. Menendez’s Wife Ms. Menendez served as a go-between for Mr. Menendez, Egyptian intelligence officials and men who were seeking political favors from the senator, according to the indictment. Defense LawyersAdam Fee Lawyer for Robert Menendez He previously spent five years as a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District — the same office prosecuting Mr. Menendez.

Persons: Menendez, Robert Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Mr, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, Menendez's, Daibes, Nadine Menendez Mr, Menendez’s, Ms, Jose Uribe, Uribe, Uribe's, Sidney H, Stein, Bill Clinton, Jennifer Shah, Hassan Nemazee, Damian Williams, Williams, President Biden, Sam Bankman, Fried, Juan Orlando Hernández, Christina Clark, Clark, Charles McGonigal, Catherine Ghosh, Eli Mark, Paul Monteleoni, Robert Hadden, Lara Pomerantz, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Norman Seabrook, Daniel Richenthal, Sheldon Silver, Michael Avenatti, Adam Fee, Fee, Avi Weitzman, Lawrence Lustberg Organizations: Democrat, Robert Menendez New Jersey, Senate Foreign Relations, Jersey Real, EG, Prosecutors, United, Jose Uribe Former New, Benz, U.S, Southern, of, Democratic, Attorney, Southern District of, ex, Public, New, New York City Housing Authority, Justice Department, Southern District’s, New York State Assembly, Nike . Defense, Southern District Locations: New Jersey, Manhattan, Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, United States, Jose Uribe Former New Jersey, of New York, Southern District, Southern District of New York, Russian, New York City, Brooklyn, Columbia, New York, U.S, California

☆ Two political operatives struck plea deals in Rep. Henry Cuellar's bribery case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Zoë Richards | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A pair of political operatives tied to Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, have agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the Justice Department's bribery case against Cuellar, according to court documents unsealed this week. A pair of political operatives tied to Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, have agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the Justice Department's bribery case against Cuellar, according to court documents unsealed this week. They devised a "sham consulting contract" with the bank and a plan for Rendon to funnel a majority of its proceeds to Cuellar's wife, according to court documents. Strother used the money to make $10,000 payments every month to Cuellar's wife, totaling $214,890, authorities say. In a statement last week before the charges were unsealed, Cuellar denied any wrongdoing and said he had "proactively sought legal advice" from the House Ethics Committee.

Persons: Henry Cuellar, Cuellar, Mina Colin Strother, Cuellar's, Florencio, Lencho, Imelda, Strother, Rendon, we're, Chris Flood Organizations: Department, Azerbaijan, NBC, Justice Locations: Texas, Mexican, U.S, South Texas

☆ Two former associates of Rep. Henry Cuellar agree to plea deal related to bribery case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Most of the money was eventually sent to the Cuellars, prosecutors allege, but Rendon didn’t think it was a good idea to send money directly to Imelda. From March 2016 to February 2018, Strother transferred nearly $215,000 to Cuellar’s wife, according to court filings. The Cuellars are not named in Strother’s and Rendon’s plea deal agreements, but both of their case numbers are listed as related cases to Cuellar’s in court records. Specific details laid out in the plea agreements also exactly match details in the indictment against Cuellar. Cuellar’s attorney, Chris Flood, told CNN in a statement, “As long as Strother and Rendon tell the truth, we are not worried.

Persons: Henry Cuellar’s, Department’s, Mina Colin Strother, Cuellar’s, Florencio “ Lencho, Cuellar, Imelda, Rendon, Strother, Imelda Cuellar, Chris Flood, ” Organizations: CNN —, Texas, CNN, ” CNN, Rendon Locations: San Antonio, Mexico City, Azerbaijan, South Texas, United States, Strother’s

☆ Russia’s Victory Day parade masks simmering tensions inside Putin’s government and beyond
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a pared-back Victory Day parade Thursday, showcasing his country’s unity and resolve to continue the war on Ukraine. But since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the massive military parade has been somewhat downsized. “The fate of the motherland, its future depends on each of us … We celebrate Victory Day in the context of the special military operation. All of Russia is with you!”But this year’s Victory Day is also happening against the background of a bribery scandal roiling Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Under Putin, Victory Day has assumed greater importance in national life.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Putin —, “, ”, Timur Ivanov, Mikhail Klimentyev, Alexander Nemenov, Ivanov, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu’s protégé, —, Alexey Navalny, Stanislav Krasilnikov, Maria Pevchikh, that’s Organizations: CNN, Nazi, “, Ministry of Defense, Defence, Sputnik, Getty, Financial, Corruption Foundation, AP, ACF, Prestige, — Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Nazi Germany, Russian, It’s, AFP, Mariupol, Putin’s Russia, Sochi, Moscow

☆ Rep. Henry Cuellar's indictment has the GOP comparing him to George Santos. Here's what to know about the Texas Democrat's bribery scandal.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The growing scandal is drawing some comparisons on the right to George Santos. AdvertisementRep. Henry Cuellar is in the midst of a growing bribery scandal involving Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. Cuellar is the third sitting lawmaker to be indicted this Congress, following former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York and Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New York. AdvertisementThe George Santos comparisonIt's only been a few days, but so far, Democrats have largely held off on calling for Cuellar to resign. Former Rep. George Santos at the State of the Union in March.

Persons: Henry Cuellar, George Santos, —, Cuellar, Democratic Sen, Bob Menendez, Santos, Cuellar's, Jessica Cisneros, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Bernie Sanders, That's, Hakeem Jeffries, Matt McClain, Getty Images Santos, don't, Donald Trump, Joe Biden Organizations: Democratic, Service, Justice, Texas Democrat, Republican Rep, George Santos of New, New, State Oil Company, Banco Azteca, Democrat, National Rifle Association, Rep, FBI, Republicans, State, Union, Washington, Getty Images, Botox Locations: Henry Cuellar of Texas, Azerbaijan, Mexican, George Santos of, George Santos of New York, New York, Texas, Azerbaijan Republic, Alexandria

Representative Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, and his wife were charged with participating in a yearslong $600,000 bribery scheme involving Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank, according to a federal indictment unsealed in Houston on Friday. Mr. Cuellar, 68, and his wife Imelda, 67, are accused of bribery and money laundering in connection with their efforts on behalf of a bank based in Mexico City and an energy company owned by Azerbaijan, according to the 54-page complaint. Mr. Cuellar is also accused of acting as an agent of a foreign entity while serving as a U.S. government official. Payments made from 2014 to 2021 were laundered through “sham consulting contracts,” front companies and shell companies owned by Mrs. Cuellar, who performed “little to no legitimate work” under the contracts, lawyers with the Justice Department’s criminal division wrote.

Persons: Henry Cuellar, Mr, Cuellar, Imelda, . Cuellar Organizations: Justice Locations: Texas, Azerbaijan, Mexican, Houston, Mexico City, U.S

☆ Former Police Officer Who Protected Sex Traffickers Gets 3-Year Sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Maia Coleman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Peiffer initially pleaded not guilty to nine counts, including bribery, extortion and use of an interstate facility to promote prostitution; he was not accused of sex trafficking. Mr. Peiffer had been a police officer in Brewster, a village about 50 miles north of New York City, since at least 2006, prosecutors said in court filings. Mr. Peiffer had been scheduled for sentencing last May, but the hearing was delayed when his wife went into labor just hours before it was to begin. His wife, Shayla Peiffer, is one of several people who wrote supportive letters to the court at the time asking for a more lenient sentence. Ms. Peiffer wrote that she was pregnant with a daughter, due that June.

Persons: Kellman, Peiffer, —, Brewster, Shayla Organizations: Brewster Police Department Locations: Queens, New York , New Jersey, Connecticut, Brewster, Brooklyn, New York City, Mexico, United States

They also argued that having the doctor testify appeared to be an effort by Mr. Menendez to present alleged facts before the jury without subjecting himself to cross-examination by testifying himself. He will be tried with two New Jersey businessmen who also were accused of participating in the bribery conspiracy. The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was charged as well but granted a separate trial, in July, after her lawyers said she had a serious medical condition that would require surgery and an extended period of recovery. The indictment, which runs 66 pages, outlines a variety of schemes. But perhaps nothing has caught the public eye as much as its descriptions of the cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible found during a June 2022 search of the senator’s home in Edgewood Cliffs, N.J.

Persons: Menendez, Judge Stein, Rosenbaum, Nadine Menendez Organizations: Democrat, Foreign Relations, Benz Locations: New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, Jersey, Edgewood Cliffs, N.J

☆ Hunter Biden demands that Fox News remove ‘intimate’ images from its platforms
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | Dana Bash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hunter Biden’s legal team has undertaken an aggressive legal and public relations strategy for several months. His lawyers have fired off letters demanding investigations into Hunter Biden’s opponents and filed a series of lawsuits against his detractors. Hunter Biden’s lawyers say they “anticipate” suing Fox but have not yet done so. This stepped-up strategy by Hunter Biden to defend himself against the onslaught of attacks initially stoked anxiety among some of President Biden’s political advisers. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to those criminal charges.

Persons: CNN — Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s, Hunter Biden, “, Biden, Hunter Biden’s, Hunter, ”, Biden’s, Fox, ” Hunter, Alexander Smirnov, Fox News “, Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo, Jesse Watters “, don’t Organizations: CNN, Fox, Fox News, FOX Corp, FOX, FBI, Republican Locations: Delaware, California

☆ Mexico ICJ hearing: Ecuador showdown over embassy raid begins Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A showdown between Mexico and Ecuador begins on Tuesday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the culmination of weeks of recrimination over an incident that saw Ecuadorian forces raid Mexico’s embassy in Quito in April, to arrest a former vice president who had been seeking asylum. Mexico is suing Ecuador at the world court over the armed raid, saying it violated the Vienna Convention, a United Nations treaty on diplomatic relations. The incident drew widespread international condemnation, but Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa remains unrepentant, telling CNN affiliate SBS news that he does not regret how Glas was arrested. Meanwhile, Ecuador filed a lawsuit of its own at the ICJ against Mexico over its decision to grant asylum to Glas. The diplomatic spat has seen a host of Latin American leaders across the political spectrum rally around Mexico, and several nations sever ties with Ecuador.

Persons: Jorge Glas, Ecuador’s, Daniel Noboa, Glas, Mexico’s, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Julian Assange, Alicia Barcena, Noboa, –, El, Bukele, Rafael Correa, Correa, CNN’s Abel Alvarado Organizations: CNN, International Court of Justice, Vienna Convention, United, UN, SBS, ICJ, Mexico, Ecuadorian Embassy, Mexican, SBS News, National Assembly Locations: Mexico, Ecuador, Quito, Vienna, United Nations, Mexican, Glas, Ecuador’s, London, Latin America

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