Friends of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) asked the judge overseeing his federal corruption case to weigh his decades of public service when deciding his sentence next month.
In letters to U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein, Menendez’s friends — many of whom said they’ve known the former senator for decades — pointed to his advocacy work and personal friendships as reason the judge should issue Menendez a more lenient penalty.
Robb Watters, founder of the lobbying firm Madison Group, said he met Menendez in 1998 while working on the medium range missile transfer for Israel that year, kicking off “one of the truest friendships” he has encountered in the nation’s capital. The pair have dined together every three weeks for 26 years, he said.
“My purpose in writing this letter and sharing my own experiences with Sen. Menendez is to ensure that the Court can truly see the man that he is, and fairly understand that justice would not be served by a lengthy sentence,” Watters said in a Sept. 4 letter to the court , made public Thursday. “I ask for mercy and understanding for a life that has been devoted to public service, as one who holds a close personal bond with the man, I hope you see.”