My heart goes out to our friend Robert Menendez, visibly shattered as he entered the courtroom, holding his wife’s hand, with a multitude of television cameras and dozens of journalists recording their every step. Does he truly deserve this treatment?

Only he – and his wife – know the complete truth. The unity of the couple, as well as that of the co-defendant businessmen, is critical. Will they withstand such immense pressure, or will they break and turn on one another?

The Senator – and his wife – declared they were innocent of the charges in court. Hopefully, he will be able to prove it. And hopefully, he can be re-elected in November 2024. It’s a difficult situation, and we hope for the best a thousand times over.

Already the Turks are celebrating. Erdogan’s recent statement says it all.

Now that Menendez has been neutralized, he said, the U.S. will approve the sale of F-16s to Turkey. We’ll see about that, but what further proof do we need about how significant the Senator’s influence was?

It’s also important that no one has made accusations regarding his relations with the Greek diaspora and Greece and Cyprus. If something inappropriate were going on, the FBI, which had him under long-term surveillance, would have picked up on it.

I acknowledge that the charges are very serious. The hundreds of thousands in cash at his home (the explanation he gave is not convincing), the gold bars, etc.

I recognize that many of the voices among the Democrats calling for his resignation are motivated by personal agendas rather than a love for truth and the party. Of course, the party is under pressure.

If the Democrats are asking Trump – who has been accused in four cases – to withdraw from the election campaign, shouldn’t they first set a good example?

Let’s not rush to judgment, though. Let’s support a dear friend of ours until the end. And then let’s draw our conclusions. As we say in America, “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”