Mere minutes after a report broke on Friday that federal prosecutors planned to file corruption charges against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), many conservatives took to Twitter to spin wild theories.
The primary theory that emerged was that Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was being targeted by the Obama administration over his criticism of nuclear negotiations with Iran.
CNN reported on Friday afternoon that federal prosecutors were gearing up to bring corruption charges against Menendez for allegedly using his position to help a longtime donor and friend in exchange for gifts.
The theories about Iran quickly followed from conservatives:
They charge Menendez two weeks before the Iran deal is announced? I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.
— Michael Goldfarb (@thegoldfarb) March 6, 2015
Menendez prob is guilty—but they held it over him to keep him in line, and dropped the charges just before the deal…real abuse of power.
— Michael Goldfarb (@thegoldfarb) March 6, 2015
Menendez was never going to save us from a bad Iran deal. And he seems more corrupt than the average Senator. But this looks like politics.
— Michael Goldfarb (@thegoldfarb) March 6, 2015
Menendez is perhaps the Senate’s leading Democratic Iran hawk. http://t.co/HHWLYRaEqy
— Jim Antle (@jimantle) March 6, 2015
Yes, WH hates him “@learyreports: Florida > RT @nytimes: Breaking News: Expected to Face Federal Corruption Charges
http://t.co/ISifIlGHYI”
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) March 6, 2015
Am I the only one suspicious of the DOJ’s decision to go after Dem NJ Sen. Menendez, the biggest Dem critic of the admin’s Iran deal #hmmmm
— Tara Setmayer (@TaraSetmayer) March 6, 2015
Menendez arrest is two years overdue. He is guilty as sin but timing is highly suspect.
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) March 6, 2015
Amazing timing, that DOJ nails Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., right after he becomes the loudest critic of Obama’s Iran deal.
— jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) March 6, 2015
The Drudge Report also included links in the upper-left corner of its homepage, next to a banner headline about Menendez, that referred to his position on Iran.
Menedez’s office, in its own response to the CNN report, said something was “suspect” about the start of the investigation, although it’s likely that was a reference to the conservative origins of the allegations against the senator and his donor.
“As has been reported, the start of this investigation is suspect. We know many false allegations have been made about this matter, allegations that were ultimately publicly discredited,” the statement said. “We also know that the official investigation of this matter is ongoing, and therefore cannot address allegations being made anonymously.”
