Former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez is still pushing for a Trump pardon before reporting to prison

President Donald Trump has not ruled retired pardoning oregon commuting the condemnation of erstwhile Sen. Bob Menendez, though allies judge determination is lone a tiny accidental that the New Jersey Democrat volition person clemency earlier he’s scheduled to study to situation adjacent month, according to a White House authoritative and 3 further radical acquainted with the discussions.

Menendez allies person made aggregate overtures to the White House since Trump took bureau to petition either a pardon oregon a commutation of his 11-year situation sentence pursuing his condemnation connected bribery and corruption charges, according to 4 radical acquainted with the efforts.

After 1 specified overture, immoderate of Menendez’s allies were convinced Trump volition not assistance the New Jersey Democrat clemency, radical acquainted with the efforts said. But a White House authoritative says Trump has not made a determination connected the matter.

Earlier this year, Menendez appealed to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a erstwhile Senate workfellow and a Trump ally, to petition a pardon oregon condemnation commutation connected his behalf, according to 3 radical with nonstop cognition of that effort. Graham and Menendez person agelong had a adjacent relationship, with Graham lasting by the Democrat during Menendez's archetypal indictment a decennary agone connected national corruption charges. But Graham has declined to get involved.

Menendez has besides tried to usage his longtime connections to Jewish leaders successful New York and New Jersey arsenic a antithetic avenue to get to Trump, according to 2 radical acquainted with those discussions. Menendez was a fierce advocator for Israel during his clip successful bureau and has attempted to leverage his ties to salient Jewish groups and cardinal stakeholders, as NBC News antecedently reported.

Menendez had besides reached retired to the household of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner for assistance securing a pardon, but helium was rebuffed, according to 1 root acquainted with the attempt.

Menendez sought and failed to get clemency from President Joe Biden earlier helium near bureau earlier this year.

Menendez pleaded not blameworthy connected national bribery and corruption charges but was convicted successful July and resigned from the Senate successful August. Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was convicted connected akin charges successful a abstracted trial.

In effort to entreaty to Trump, Menendez has argued that helium was politically targeted by the Justice Department. In a Friday station connected X, Menendez accused Democrats of “weaponizing the Justice Dept.” against him erstwhile helium was archetypal indicted successful 2015. The Justice Department yet dropped that lawsuit successful 2018.

“When, arsenic the Chairman of the [Senate Foreign Relations Committee], I didn’t spell on with Obama’s Iran deal, I was indicted, and the adjacent time aft being stripped of my position, Obama announced the Iran deal,” Menendez wrote.

Despite his appeals to Trump, Menendez does not person a adjacent narration with the president and has been an adversary astatine cardinal moments. Menendez joined each Senate Democrats successful voting to convict Trump during his 2 impeachment trials, for lawsuit — an enactment a idiosyncratic adjacent to Trump antecedently told NBC News would measurement against him.