Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez is reportedly turning his gaze from President Joe Biden to none other than President-elect Donald Trump in a bid to secure clemency. According to NBC New York, Menendez, who's been hit with federal corruption charges that could see him behind bars for years, apparently believes he has a better shot at a sentence commutation or full pardon from Trump rather than Biden. This strategic pivot comes after Menendez was convicted in July and is due for sentencing on Jan. 29.

Menendez, who cast his lot in favor of Trump’s conviction during both impeachment trials, may have to simultaneously reckon with past decisions and hope to appeal to Trump's sensibilities for a lifeline—a tall order given their political history. "Biden and Menendez are not particularly close," as per NBC New York, which perhaps explains the former senator's strategic shift in seeking clemency from a president-elect who's not exactly been a political ally.

Meanwhile, the Senator's departure from a Senate race could have been a final, yet futile, attempt to bargain his way to leniency. As detailed in a report by the New York Post, Menendez faced a staggering possible sentence of over 200 years, being found guilty of accepting bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, and other lavish perks in return for political favors. Clearly, the tarnished lawmaker is casting about for a political lifeline, but skepticism abounds regarding the efficacy of such efforts.

In an ironic twist of familial political fortunes, Menendez's son, Rob Menendez, has won a Democratic primary to run for a Congressional seat, seemingly unimpeded by the elder Menendez's legal woes. Yet, for the patriarch of the family, the spotlight is firmly on the potential for clemency as "Gold Bar Bob" and his allies strategize to avoid a lengthy incarceration. Faced with a conviction that could strip him of his pension and health benefits, Menendez clings to hope, telling the New York Post in the aftermath of the verdict, "I'm deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision. I have every faith that the law and the facts are not sustained with that decision, and that we will be successful upon appeal."

It remains to be seen if Trump will entertain Menendez's request or if this is just another chapter in a story of political downfall—a senator convicted and hoping against the odds for a presidential pardon as he faces the prospect of prison. The former friend who witnessed Menendez and his wife dining carefreely at their favorite local haunt summed up the situation to the New York Post, noting, "They’ve been out at Grissini’s looking like they don’t have a care in the world."