Bob Menendez betrayed his country and legacy in stunning fall from grace, NJ colleagues say

Former colleagues of disgraced ex-Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., spoke astir however the erstwhile legislator betrayed his state and his ain legacy, published successful a study by The New York Times connected Wednesday.

A justice sentenced Menendez to 11 years successful situation connected Wednesday, concluding his proceedings for a "long-running bribery and overseas power strategy of uncommon gravity."

The condemnation is the harshest ever handed down to a U.S. senator. Breaking down successful tears, Menendez pleaded with U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein for mercy successful a New York City courtroom. 

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Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., arrives astatine national tribunal successful New York earlier being sentenced, connected Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah) (AP)

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gave a bleak retrospective of however the erstwhile N.J. legislator volition beryllium remembered.

"At a clip erstwhile our expectations proceed to get little and little for radical successful nationalist life, the happening Bob Menendez is going to beryllium remembered for is lowering those standards adjacent further," Christie told The Times, adding, "That’s a hellhole of an epitaph."

Christie went connected to picture however Menendez broke the ineffable spot betwixt the nationalist and their elected officials, ignoring an important trade-off required of politicians.

"When you’re successful nationalist office, you marque a trade: You get power successful instrumentality for not getting money," said Christie. "If you judge that you tin person power and wealth arsenic a nationalist authoritative astatine the aforesaid time, you’re astir apt going to spell to jail."

The erstwhile N.J. politician believed that "Bob Menendez conscionable concluded helium could person both," adding, "And you can’t."

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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie laid retired what helium thinks ex-Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., volition beryllium remembered aft being sentenced to 11 years successful situation for a bribery and influence-peddling scheme. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Former Senator Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., who faced an morals ungraded of his ain portion successful office, had a akin connection connected Menendez's betrayal of his country.

"I don’t deliberation these tin beryllium judged arsenic lone portion of a signifier of inappropriate behaviour oregon adjacent corruption," Torricelli said. "There was an constituent present of betrayal to the state and an enactment contrary to nationalist interests that was astir unsocial successful the past of the United States Congress."

Although determination was nary shortage of disapproval from erstwhile colleagues of Menendez, immoderate inactive loyal to him penned letters to Judge Stein, pleading for leniency successful his sentencing. Henry J. Amoroso, a salient lawyer and person of Menendez, recalled a clip erstwhile the erstwhile legislator showed him compassion during a meal celebrating the lawyer's 60th birthday. Amoroso had been struggling with a debilitating enarthrosis wounded astatine the clip of the dinner, which made cutting his steak a taxing challenge.

"During dinner, helium evidently noticed I was struggling to chopped my steak and without immoderate hesitation and without bringing attraction to himself, helium mildly leaned implicit with his ain knife, grabbing my fork and cutting my steak for maine portion remaining wholly engaged successful conversation," Amoroso wrote.

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MSNBC big Alicia Menendez penned a missive to Judge Stein asking for leniency successful her father's sentencing.  ((Left: Bonnie Cash/Pool via REUTERS, Right:Screenshot/MSNBC))

Menendez's lone daughter, MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez, besides wrote a missive to Judge Stein. While the missive did inquire the justice to amusement mercy connected her father, arsenic helium had already mislaid his spot successful the Senate, and adjacent had his sanction removed from a section simple school, she did code the irreparable harm already done by the legislator to his ain legacy, arsenic noted by The Times.

"A bequest of work 51 years successful the making has been reduced to a punchline astir golden bars," she wrote.

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Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.