How weaponization works.
Prosecutors broke the law to make sure they convicted me, by loading unconstitutional evidence onto a laptop they gave to the jury.The illegal evidence, that the Judge had ruled inadmissible, violated the Congressional immunity clause of the Constitution. The SDNY prosecutors effort to uphold the conviction, in the appeals court, is an effort to reduce Constitutional immunity for government actors. These are precisely the same laws relating to presidential immunity that came up in DJT's case. This is a threat to Presidential immunity.

Obama’s Justice Department was used against me, not only over Iran, but also about Cuba policy. I opposed Obama unilaterally opening up to the Castro regime without getting any concessions. No release of political prisoners, no Free Press, no free elections. No freedoms! Obama told me he didn't want to see criticism from me over his Cuba policy. But I had spent a lifetime fighting for Cuban freedom. I could not remain silent!

People talk about the Trump DOJ, but it was the Democrats who started weaponizing the Justice Dept. When, as the Chairman of the SFRC, I didn't go along with Obama's Iran deal, I was indicted, and the next day after being stripped of my position, Obama announced the Iran deal. Obama told me that he could not have the Democratic Chairman of the SFRC be against him. By having me removed as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama removed my major opposition to his Iran deal. It was a bad deal for the U.S. and for our ally, Israel.

1/ I continue to monitor the ongoing situation in the Israel-Hamas war. As I’ve previously stated, Israel’s allies must step up at this moment, and Congress must provide Israel all the resources needed to fully defend itself. menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press… 2/ Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with inquiries concerning the current ongoing situation in Israel or call:

📞 1-833-890-9595 or 1-606-641-0131

My office has also compiled the following resources for U.S. Citizens in Israel and Gaza.

🧵 THREAD: Seeing a lot of Republicans saying we need more armed guards in schools. Let's take a second to look at what that proposal would look like⬇️ Between public & private, elementary and high schools, that's about 130,000 schools in the U.S. that would need to be defended.

Let's say conservatively we need at least 2 guards for each school in case one calls in sick.

THREAD: After a day of shining a light on some of my colleagues who refuse to back up their “thoughts and prayers” with action, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also share some of the steps I’m taking and bills I’ve introduced to confront this crisis ⬇️ I'm glad @SenSchumer has said the Senate WILL VOTE on gun legislation and show the American people where we stand. I will keep working to have as many of these provisions as possible brought for a vote on the floor:

#TBT to this day one year ago, when Nadine and I watched as @POTUS and @VP inherited an America with a weakened democracy following the January 6th insurrection, a tarnished reputation in the global arena, and a nation still reeling from an unprecedented pandemic. In the days that followed, we worked together to set a bold and hopeful vision for the future, one where together we could defeat COVID-19 and build back better a more inclusive and prosperous nation.
 
And while we've made a lot of progress, there's much left to do.

Standing—as I always have— alongside the #ArmenianAmerican community in New Jersey and across our country who have experienced terrible losses in recent weeks due to the devastation inflicted on the region by Azerbaijani President Aliyev, with the full support of Turkey. We should be concerned about national security issues that would affect the United States in the Caucasus.

I have 4 steps the U.S. must take to begin a new chapter of U.S. policy in the region and right past wrongs.

It's been more than a year since the House came together to pass the #VenezuelaTPS Act.

It's been more than a year of the Senate GOP blocking that bill to protect Venezuelans from deportation.

Headed to @DSenFloor to try to pass it TODAY.

WATCH 👉 c-span.org/congress/?cham… Venezuela continues to experience the worst political, economic & humanitarian crisis in our hemisphere.

Its people continue to suffer extreme food and medicine shortages, levels of criminal violence akin to a conflict zone & grave human rights abuses under the Maduro regime.

Individuals should never be imprisoned for peaceful activism. I urge Central Asian leaders to release prisoners held for these legitimate acts, including cases across #Kazakhstan, #Kyrgyzstan, #Tajikistan, #Turkmenistan & #Uzbekistan. The #COVID19 prison risk raises the stakes. Aset Abishev was arrested in Kazakhstan for posts in support of Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement. @freedomhouse cited his case as an example of Kazakhstan persecuting opposition parties. He has been punished for expressing concerns about prison conditions & #COVID19.

The #GlobalForcedMigrationReport analyzes drivers of the crisis, shortfalls of the intl response, and the Trump Admin’s retreat from global & moral leadership.

The facts represent a clarion call for strong leadership, intl solidarity, and innovation to address this crisis. By the end of 2018, there were at least 70.8 million refugees, asylum seekers, and IDPs. 1 out of every 109 people in the world had been forced to flee their homes.

In 2019, this figure increased to 79.5 million, or 1 out of every 97 people. #GlobalForcedMigrationReport

#JamalKhashoggi's murder reminded us how authoritarians fear a free press.

It exposed the danger of having a U.S. President regularly demonize the media, & laid bare the fragility of our system & how much it relies on the people in power to respect it. wapo.st/2mX26GD Khashoggi’s murder will be remembered as the straw that broke the camel’s back—a grim reminder that Saudi behavior has strayed so far out of line with our own values that business as usual with the kingdom was no longer in our interests.

READ MY OP-ED 👇 wapo.st/2mX26GD

Press freedom is under assault across the globe—including in the US. As journalists fight to advance truth and objectivity, far too many governments and non-state actors are targeting them. #WorldPressFreedomDay In Slovakia, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia, journalists have been recently killed in retaliation for spreading news and information.

Others have been imprisoned in Burma, Nicaragua, and around the world. #WorldPressFreedomDay

1/5. As a life-long advocate for racial justice, equal rights under the law, and opportunity for all, I will #VoteNoOnKavanaugh and fight back against the Trump Administration’s every effort to turn back on the clock on civil rights. #WhatsAtStake

medium.com/@SenatorMenend… 2/5. Brett Kavanaugh has joined opinions that undermine our fair housing laws and weaken the ability of African Americans and Latino Americans to raise discrimination claims.

Let's just say it - if LeBron James was white, President Trump never would have questioned his intelligence or his charity work. How do I know? Let's check the history... In the 1970s, Trump was sued for not renting to African Americans at his properties... salon.com/2011/04/28/don…

Just voted to extend National Flood Insurance Program for 4 months. Don't get me wrong - I'm relieved. If it lapsed, thousands of NJans would lose coverage just as hurricane season begins.

But we really need reform - my #SafeNFIP Act has bipartisan support. It could have passed NJans deserve a flood insurance program that works.
My #SafeNFIP Act:
-makes premiums more affordable
-reduces future flooding by investing in resiliency
-holds insurance companies accountable
-provides a long-term reauthorization.

Fmr Secretary Tillerson made it clear that ending TPS for El Salvador & Honduras would have major repercussions, including a likely backlash that weakened our cooperation to combat the drug trade & criminal gangs in Central America.

Yet, the Trump Administration did it anyway.

https://twitter.com/Evan_Rosenfeld/status/1022155149723062272

The State Department was also right in warning that ending these protections would leave TPS beneficiaries and their U.S.-citizen children vulnerable to criminal violence and gang recruitment by MS-13.

Yet, the Trump Administration did it anyway. cnn.com/2018/07/25/pol…

On the 170th anniversary of the Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls where suffragists proudly proclaimed that "all men AND women are created equal," it's sad we're still striving to achieve that vision. It's why I introduce the Equal Rights Amendment every Congress, and... ...why I proudly voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that President Obama signed into law, and continue to work to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to bolster enforcement of our pay discrimination laws so my daughter & granddaughter don't face the same wage gap my mother did