Bob Menendez's corruption scandal to put Washington in awkward position Tit-for-tat diplomacy

On September 22, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charged New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez with corruption-related offences for the second time in ten years. According to the newly unsealed federal indictment, Menendez is accused of accepting "hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes" in exchange for the senator's influence.

Reportedly, the bribes included gold, cash, home mortgage payments, compensation for a "low-or-no-show job", and a luxury vehicle. Although Senator Menendez refutes all corruption allegations pointing to his “long-term service in maintaining the US interests,” FBI’s investigation will likely dive deeper and cover all agreements and contracts agreed by the senator during this term in the Senate.

In this regard, the FBI and other US security agencies scrutinised Menendez's role in the recent US military assistance to Egypt, as Sen. Bob Menendez used his influence in Congress to aid the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi secretly. Such a radical turn pushed the Democrat party to discuss alternative options, including placing a hold on a recently greenlit tranche of military aid to Egypt.

Historically, Egypt has been the longstanding US partner in the Middle East region and among the biggest recipients of American security assistance since the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. The military aid to Egypt continued for decades despite long-term domestic violence and a poor record of human rights issues.

Despite criticism of the Egyptian government's crackdown on human rights and frequent imprisonment of political activists, Sen. Menendez, through the established corruption scheme, ensured sufficient military aid to the country for many years. This was Sen. Menendez's main point of accusation for using his power and influence at the committee to defend the interests of particular individuals and groups.

As a result, after vocal allegations and criticism, Bob Menendez stepped down as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Moreover, Bob Menendez's corruption charges and investigation revealed his close contacts with Greek and Armenian lobbyist organisations based in the US. Menendez has always been a staunch critic of countries like Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

As for Türkiye, Menendez provided public support for Greece in its maritime border dispute with Türkiye and put pressure on the US government to sanction the Turkish government for many years.

Moreover, Menendez was the main initiator of a hold on the sale of US F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, something that has angered the policy and security establishment in Türkiye. However, the US later agreed to soften its stance regarding F16's sale in exchange for Ankara's approval of Sweden's NATO bid.

Now, with the removal of Sen. Menendez from his post, the sale of F16s to Türkiye would be smooth. Nevertheless, differences between Erdogan and Biden could still delay the purchase as the US president has yet to invite his Turkish counterpart to the White House.

Sen. Bob Menendez has also harshly criticised Türkiye’s main strategic ally – Azerbaijan, particularly during the Second Karabakh War in 2020 between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Garabagh region. During the active phase of the conflict, Sen. Menendez pushed hard to sanction the Azerbaijani government for its “attack on the Armenian population of Garabagh”.

Moreover, he introduced legislation in 2020 to revoke the President’s authority to waive Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and enact US sanctions against President Ilham Aliyev and other senior Azerbaijani officials, though unsuccessfully.

In the post-war period, Menendez proceeded with frequent attacks on Azerbaijan, referring to the "existing threat of ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Garabagh," underpinning Washington's role as a peace mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

As a response, Azerbaijani state media launched its campaign to reveal Sen. Menendez's close ties to the powerful US-based Armenian lobby and his strict anti-Azerbaijani statements. Amid the ongoing investigation, Azerbaijan pursued a narrative that “lobbyism, monetarism, sheer lie and racist hate against Azerbaijanis and others undermine the image and global reputation of the United States Congress.”

Indeed, Senator Bob Menendez's case is one of the most notorious scandals of the US political establishment in the last few years, as the consequences of this process will be high in terms of the US global image and its relations with regional partners like Türkiye and Azerbaijan.