A Tuesday segment on MSNBC’s “Deadline White House” got awkward when new allegations surfaced against embattled Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) — and his daughter was guest-hosting the show.
Alicia Menendez was sitting in for regular host Nicolle Wallace, and just before the show went to a commercial break, she announced that a breaking news update was imminent. “We have to take a quick break. And we’ll be back with some breaking news right after this,” she said.
When they returned, however, MSNBC host Ari Melber was in the anchor’s chair to deliver the news.
WATCH:
Towards the end of today's broadcast of MSNBC's Deadline: White House, anchor Alicia Menendez — filling in for Nicolle Wallace — hands off to Ari Melber to report Sen. Bob Menendez's latest corruption charges.
The New Jersey senator is the MSNBC host's father. pic.twitter.com/4S08CfqpfB
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 2, 2024
“Hello, I’m Ari Melber with some breaking legal news,” Melber said. “New Jersey United States Sen. Robert Menendez now facing new allegations in a second superseding indictment which was filed by a federal grand jury from his DOJ prosecution.”
As reported on Tuesday by New York ABC News affiliate WABC, a second superseding indictment against the New Jersey senator alleges that he took “luxury watches” and other “things of value” in exchange for speaking positively about Qatar.
Co-defendant Fred Daibes is quoted in the indictment as asking Menendez, “How about one of these?” — after which he sent the senator a photo of the watches in question, which ranged in value from $10,000-$24,000.
On September 29, 2021 — just two days later — Daibes sent Menendez another message. This one addressed a Senate resolution that would show support for Qatar — and at the time, Daibes was also working to secure a real estate deal with the Qatari Investment Company.
Menendez has already been charged with bribery and “acting as a foreign agent” in regard to his dealings with Egypt.
Alicia Menendez previously addressed the unfolding scandal involving her father, saying that while her network would certainly continue to cover the news as it happened, she would not be the one to deliver it.
“I will not be reporting on the legal case. That said, my colleagues across MSNBC and NBC News, they have aggressively covered this story, and they’ll continue to do so, as they should,” she said at the time.