New Jersey’s senior U.S. senator, a Democrat who serves as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez has been under scrutiny by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. The probe in part has examined whether he or his wife, Nadine Arslanian, received gifts in exchange for political favors, The Wall Street Journal has previously reported.

Prosecutors also have investigated the circumstances surrounding a lucrative contract that a New Jersey businessman secured with Egyptian officials for certifying halal meat exports, the Journal has reported. The businessman, whom Menendez hosted in his office along with Egyptian officials in 2018, became the sole certifier of halal meat exported from the U.S. to Egypt the following year.

[Interesting. Indicting a Senate Democrat would give Merrick Garland a talking point to push back against accusations of corruption regarding Hunter Biden’s investigation and sweetheart handling by David Weiss. One has to wonder how much that’s factoring into the decision too, but Menendez has been under constant investigation for the last three administrations. — Ed]