U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and Nayib Bukele.
This Friday, United States Democrat Senator Bob Menendez, a vocal critic of President Nayib Bukele and Bitcoin, withdrew his independent Senate Bid.
“Please be advised that as an Independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in this November’s election, I am advising you that I wish to have my name withdrawn from the ballot,” wrote Menendez in a letter filed with the New Jersey state division of elections.
In July, New Jersey Senator Menendez was found guilty of 16 corruption charges. U.S. Federal prosecutors accused Menendez of bribery, acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, obstruction of justice, extortion, and conspiring to commit those crimes.
Menendez’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29; he faces decades in prison.
As one of the most influential Democrats in Washington, D.C., on Latin American issues, the New Jersey senator was also a staunch critic of the Bukele administration, President Nayib Bukele, and Bitcoin.
In 2021, Democratic senators, led by Senator Menendez, proposed reviewing the US-El Salvador Free Trade Agreement in response to actions by the Nayib Bukele government that were seen as undermining democracy.
“One of the strongest tools is to remove trade preferences. We did not sign CAFTA with countries that were going against democracy, but rather countries that were moving towards democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law,” stated Menendez in 2021.
Menendez was also a co-sponsor of a bill titled the “El Salvador Cryptocurrency Accountability Act” that would have required the State Department to report on mitigating risks to the U.S. financial system arising from El Salvador adopting Bitcoin as legal tender.
This guy actually called for an investigation against us… He ended up being charged. President Nayib Bukele.
SEE ALSO: Living in El Salvador: Top Reasons for Moving to El Salvador
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy officially announced that he would appoint George Helmy to the U.S. Senate, replacing the resigning Senator Bob Menendez.
