News that disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison lit up social media – with some political observers using the opportunity to take a veiled shot at President Donald Trump.
Menendez learned his sentence Wednesday after being found guilty last year on corruption charges that included conspiracy to commit bribery, actions to benefit Egypt, and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.
Menendez told reporters after the hearing, "President Trump was right."
"This process is political, and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system," he said.
“Good,” Democratic strategist Chris D. Jackson wrote in a post on X. “It's good to see crooks in government held accountable. Too bad it doesn't go for the executive branch.”
“Unlike MAGA, we actually believe in holding criminals accountable, even when they’re from our own side,” journalists Ed Krassenstein and Brian Krassenstein told their followers in a shared Bluesky post. “Try to keep up.”
“Bob Menendez had it coming,” End Citizens United wrote in a social media post. “His sentencing is a reminder that Congress is no place for self-serving, pay-to-play politics.”
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“My only comment is that it probably should have been more than 11 years,” podcast host Jack Hopkins wrote on Bluesky.
“Good riddance,” the social media account Art Candee said on Bluesky.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democrat, took the opportunity to tell his X followers about his congressional run against Menendez 20 years ago.
“It was brutal and I got 12% of the vote…. Today he will be sentenced to prison time for bribery,” Fulop wrote. “Today is a big day - A chapter closes for NJ (+ for me).”
While New Jersey's Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy wrote in his own X post that the moment marks “the sad end to a long and largely productive career in public service.
“Senator Menendez accomplished many things on behalf of our state, but sadly he will be remembered for putting his own interests and financial gain ahead of the public interest,” Murphy wrote, adding: “It is critical that we hold our elected leaders to the highest professional and ethical standards.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the owner of the social media account "Art Candee." This article has been updated.