This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

You can add the take down of another high-profile public figure to the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams’ belt. After an intense trial spanning several months, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor announced that Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez had been found guilty on 16 counts, ranging from extortion to acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. Williams said Menendez’s conviction shows the Department of Justice isn’t politicized. Let’s hope Donald Trump also sees it that way.

Former Eric Adams campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs may not be raking in big checks for the mayor’s reelection campaign anymore, but she’s still racking up some sizable invoices as a consultant to the campaign. Suggs, whose home was raided by federal agents last November as part of an ongoing probe into the mayor’s 2021 campaign, brought in $40,000 from the Adams camp over the last seven months for what the mayor called “administrative” work.

Not every president – or former president turned presidential candidate – can say they survived an assassination attempt. It’s never great to be a target, but Donald Trump lived to tell the tale, and apparently with minimal injuries. What’s more, New York Republicans are touting polling that shows that the Empire State may be seriously in play for Trump in November, with good numbers for congressional candidates as well. Top that off with a favorable court decision, and it’s clear Trump could be doing far worse.

Freshman Council Member Susan Zhuang was thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons on Wednesday after she allegedly bit a police officer while being arrested at a protest against the construction of a homeless shelter in her district. Zhuang has supported the NYPD during her tenure in the city council thus far, but Wednesday’s toothy incident could cause a cavity in their relationship.

Rep. Elise Stefanik took it upon herself to appear as Trump’s biggest fan during the presidential election cycle. But it wasn’t enough to secure her spot on the ticket, as Trump chose U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance to be his running mate. Some say a New York Republican never had much of a chance anyway, but Stefanik, with her heightened profile over the past year or so, certainly seemed plausible. For now, she’ll have to settle for being the grim reaper of leadership elections.

Eddie Gibbs is not a politician, but a self proclaimed “people-tician.” Though his character was called into question over the last few weeks, things were looking up for Gibbs after he won reelection – until his awful comments about Rep. Jerry Nadler leaked to the press. So, was it the “people” that wanted him to bash Nadler? Looks like his character is on the stand for questioning once again.