Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has recruited Abbe Lowell, the same lawyer representing Hunter Biden against his tax and firearm charges, to represent his federal bribery case.
Lowell and Menendez’s history dates back to 2015, when the senator was charged with allegedly accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political favors. Menendez hired Lowell for that case and he was acquitted on several charges, with the Justice Department dropping the counts against him in January 2018.
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Although Lowell is presently representing President Joe Biden‘s son on his federal charges as well as a civil suit against a former Trump administration aide for allegedly hacking into Hunter Biden’s phone data, he has also helped former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner with obtaining a permanent White House security clearance.
Lowell became the lead attorney handling the younger Biden’s matters this summer after a plea deal between prosecutors fell apart under scrutiny from U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware.
Chris Clark, then-head attorney to the younger Biden’s team, withdrew from the case in August because he could be called in as a witness in future cases involving the failed plea deal he negotiated with David Weiss, who was named as special counsel to the Hunter Biden investigation on Aug. 11.
Decades ago, Lowell was also a special assistant to the attorney general in the Carter administration and went on to be the chief minority counsel during impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, presenting Clinton’s defense in front of the House Judiciary Committee in 1998.
Other notable figures Lowell has represented include former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and celebrity clients such as actor Steven Seagal and musician Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. Lowell’s representation of Menendez was first reported by Law360.
Menendez, his spouse, along with New Jersey real estate mogul Fred Daibes, and two other business associates were indicted on corruption charges by federal prosecutors last week, alleging the senator of partaking in an influence-peddling scheme involving the Egyptian government.
Agents found “home furnishings” provided by two associates of Menendez who were facilitating the bribes including a “luxury vehicle … as well as over one hundred thousand dollars’ worth of gold bars in the home.” pic.twitter.com/Cb9HmbzbnG
— Kaelan Deese (@KaelanDC) September 22, 2023
Investigators in June of last year conducted a search of Menendez’s home in New Jersey and found $100,000 worth of gold bars, nearly $500,000 in cash, with much of it filled into “envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe.” Investigators also discovered a brand new Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible.
Menendez has temporarily stepped down since the indictment as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but refuses to resign from the Senate despite pressure from Democratic colleagues in the chamber and in his home state. The senator maintains his innocence and claims the prosecution against him is unfair.
“Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” he said in a statement.”This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”
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The senator will be holding a press conference Monday at 11:30 a.m. local time to provide a status on his situation since the indictment. Defendants in the case are slated to appear in Manhattan federal court Wednesday morning.
The Washington Examiner contacted Lowell for response.
