Sen. Bob Menendez leads a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on July 26, 2023.Photo:Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty
Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty
New Jersey Sen.Bob Menendezand his wife, Nadine, both pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal bribery, extortion and fraud charges,Politicoreports.
According toNew York Law JournalreporterJane Wester, Menendez will be released on a $100,000 bond after surrendering his personal passport.
Menendez, a Democrat, was indicted last week along with his wife following an investigation into their business dealings with three men who have ties to Egypt’s government.
Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez arrive at a White House reception on May 16, 2022.Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
The39-page indictmentalleges that the senator, 69, and Nadine, 56, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes in exchange for protecting the three businessmen — Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes — and to “benefit” the government of Egypt. Some of those bribes, prosecutors say, came in the form of envelopes stuffed with cash.
“Over $480,000 in cash — much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe — was discovered in the home, along with over $70,000 in Nadine Menendez’s safe deposit box,” the indictment alleges.
Menendez, who was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time of the indictment, has since told reporters the cash came from his “personal savings.”
The couple are charged with three counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
Nadine and Bob Menendez arrive at a White House state dinner on June 22, 2023.Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty
Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty
Menendez has served as a senator since 2006. Prior to that, he was a U.S. Representative, state senator, state representative, and the mayor of Union City, New Jersey.
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Lawmakers on either side of the aisle, including fellow Democrats, have sincecalled on Menendez to step down, though the lawmaker has said he has no intention of doing so.
Menendez, who is up for reelection in 2024, now faces aprimary challenger— U.S. Rep. Andy Kim — who announced that he would run against the Democrat just days after the indictment was unsealed.
source: people.com
