Watchdog head says Menendez bribery charge ‘significant’

The indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on bribery charges is “significant,” according to the new head of watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

“Bribery is a very tough charge to prove; it’s not one that the department charges very often,” said Noah Bookbinder, former Justice Department litigator with the public integrity unit and one-and-a-half weeks on the job as CREW’s executive director, in an exclusive interview with The Hill.

{mosads}Menendez appeared in court Thursday, one day after a federal grand jury charged the 61-year-old with public corruption. Menendez iis pleading not guilty.

Bookbinder says DOJ prosecutors could have simply indicted Menendez with making “false statements,” as they did to then-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) — a less difficult crime to prove.

But “to prove bribery, you have to prove that there was a direct quid pro quo — an agreement that the member, government official, would take official action in exchange for something of value — and it’s that link that’s hard to prove,” Bookbinder said.

Take a look at Bookbinder’s thoughts on the 68-page indictment and another politician that CREW is keeping an eye on.