NEWS
Sen. Bob Menendez Vows to Remain In Office And Fight Corruption Charges
Courtesy of senatormenendez/Instagram
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Monday responded to calls for his resignation after being indicted on corruption charges on Friday, saying he intends to remain in office.
“Everything I’ve accomplished I’ve worked for despite the naysayers and everyone who has underestimated me,” he said in public remarks at Union Station in Union, N.J. “I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet. But as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator.”
Menendez, along with his wife, Nadine, are accused of taking bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for the senator wielding his power on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit the government of Egypt, as well as enriching businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daides.
According to the indictment, Menendez allegedly provided U.S. government information that “secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” and pressured a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to protect a contract for Hana to be the exclusive provider of halal meat to Egypt.
According to the Department of Justice, Menendez and his wife accepted bribes including “gold, cash, a luxury convertible, payments toward Nadine Menendez’s home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job for Nadine Menendez, home furnishings,” and other items.
Photos showed items seized from the Menendez home by the FBI, including gold bars and piles of cash.
“The allegations leveled against me are just that: allegations,” Menendez said Monday.
Addressing the photos of cash and gold found at his home, Menendez invoked his family history in Cuba.
“For 30 years I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba,” Menendez said. “These were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income I have lawfully derived over those 30 years. I look forward to addressing other issues at trial.”
Last week, Menendez temporarily stepped down from his position as ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to Senate Democratic caucus rules related to felony charges.
This is Menendez’s second corruption indictment. A 2015 indictment ended in a mistrial in 2018.
TMX contributed to this article.
