However, The New York Times' problem with Senator Menendez has nothing to do with unsubstantiated ethics allegations, it has to do with its elitist opposition to Menendez's foreign policy views.
Case and point -- the first sentence of the editorial:
"Senator Robert Menendez was never a distinguished choice for chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the position he ascended to this month by virtue of seniority."
For The New York Times, Senator Menendez has never been "distinguished" enough because he doesn't stem from Manhattan's elitist foreign policy community.
You know, from the cocktail party circuit that has endlessly feted the Castros, Arafats and Assads of this world.
Instead, Senator Menendez -- the son of a carpenter and a seamstress that valued their freedom in the U.S. -- has historically challenged the world's most brutal dictators, whether from the left or the right.
He's a tireless champion of human rights defenders and courageous pro-democracy activists -- from Iran to Cuba.
Moreover, he doesn't believe in unilateral concessions to America's foes.
This is a man who has guided three major foreign policy bills on Iran in the last 13 months.
This stands in stark contrast to The New York Times, whose editorial board staunchly advocates for engagement with Iran's mullahs and normalized relations with Cuba's Castro brothers.
Thus, it clearly wants Senator Menendez out of its way.
