Where the Turnpikes Are Paved With Gold

Guys, the Justice Department is, like, totally weaponized… against criminals. “Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the powerful Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was charged on Friday with taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes — including gold bars — to wield influence abroad and at home, aiding the government of Egypt and businessmen in New Jersey.” NYT (Gift Article): Menendez Accused of Brazen Bribery Plot, Taking Cash and Gold. “In exchange for all those actions, the indictment said, the senator and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, a luxury vehicle and other valuable things.”

+ If things don’t work out in the Senate, Menendez is clearly qualified for the Supreme Court. Here’s yet another report from ProPublica: Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events. “On Jan. 25, 2018, dozens of private jets descended on Palm Springs International Airport. Some of the richest people in the country were arriving for the annual winter donor summit of the Koch network, the political organization founded by libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch. A long weekend of strategizing, relaxation in the California sun and high-dollar fundraising lay ahead. Just after 6 p.m., a Gulfstream G200 jet touched down on the tarmac. One of the Koch network’s most powerful allies was on board: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.”