Ravi Bhalla for Congress Blasts Rob Menendez Jr for Standing by While Sam Bankman-Fried Fueled His 2022 Campaign with $250,000

Calls on Rob Menendez Jr to Take No More Corporate PAC money

The Ravi Bhalla for Congress campaign today blasted Representative Rob Menendez Jr. for standing by while Sam Bankman-Fried’s Super PAC, Protect Our Future, fueled his 2022 primary campaign to the tune of $250,000. Sam Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison sentence this past Thursday for a large-scale fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers, many of whom experienced irreparable financial harm.

The $250,000 was spent on Rob Menendez Jr. to curry favor with his father, Senator Bob Menendez, who served as Chair of the US Senate Banking Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment, and as a senior member of the Banking Committee.  The US Senate Banking Committee was looking into cryptocurrencies during this time period.

“This was a blatant attempt to influence his father Senator Bob Menendez’s actions on the Senate Banking Committee and Rob Menendez Jr. was happy to reap the benefits and say nothing,” said Rob Horowitz, spokesperson for Ravi Bhalla for Congress.  “We now know that Rob Menendez Jr. likely benefited from money stolen from investors.”

This is all part of a pattern of special interests funding Rob Menendez Jr.’s campaigns. In the 4th quarter of 2023, Representative Rob Menendez Jr. raised $141,500 from PACs, including $69,000 from corporate PACS and $10,000 from his father, Senator Bob Menendez’s leadership PAC.  He also raised $41,200 from lobbyists.  Taken together, PACs and lobbyists comprise more than half of the $348,000 or so he raised for the quarter.

“It is time for Rob Menendez Jr. to declare his independence from the special interests that have fueled his political career.” said Ravi Bhalla. “I call on him today to join me in taking no corporate PAC contributions.”

Ravi Bhalla is challenging Representative Rob Menendez Jr. in the June 4^th Democratic Primary.

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