Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) dismissed an indictment accusing him of public corruption as being filled with “baseless allegations” in a defiant statement Friday that attributed the charges to a “smear campaign” against him.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced that Menendez would be charged with bribery after an investigation uncovered alleged instances of illegal influence-peddling. In the indictment, the senior senator of New Jersey is accused of benefiting the government of Egypt from his perch as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in exchange for cash, gold bars, and other items of value.
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He overcame corruption charges in 2018 when a hung jury could not agree on whether to convict him, but a series of news stories teasing a new set of charges has hung over Menendez for months.
“For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave,” he said in a statement. “Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.”
Menendez, who denies any wrongdoing, vowed he would not back away from foreign policy views he claims have put him in the crosshairs of his political enemies, though whether he will be allowed to continue as chairman of his committee is in doubt. He butted heads with the Obama administration over the Iran nuclear deal and its detente with Cuba.
Menendez is the son of Cuban immigrants, a point he highlighted on Friday.
“Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings could rise to be a U.S. Senator and serve with honor and distinction,” he said. “Even worse, they see me as an obstacle in the way of their broader political goals.”
Following a press conference in which prosecutors laid out the allegations against him, Menendez urged his supporters to “reserve judgment,” arguing the facts in the case had been distorted to fit a narrative.
“Prosecutors did that the last time, and look what a trial demonstrates,” he said. “People should remember that before accepting the prosecutor’s version.”
For now, the biggest question for Menendez as the investigation proceeds — U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the case is still “very much ongoing” — is how his Democratic colleagues in the Senate will respond. At least one senator, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), called the counts against him “serious accusations” but cautioned that she would hold off judgment. All eyes are on whether Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stands with him.
The office of Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) released a statement calling on Schumer to make his view publicly known.
“Democratic leadership of the committee is the responsibility of the Democratic leadership in the Senate,” Risch’s Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said. “There is precedent on these types of issues in their conference. Senator Risch hopes to hear from the Democrat leader as soon as possible so the committee’s important work can go on uninterrupted.”
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Menendez, who is up for reelection in 2024, is not the only person caught up in the investigation. His wife Nadine and three associates were also named by prosecutors.
Two of those associates, Wael Hana and Jose Uribe, are accused of giving Nadine Arslanian a Mercedes-Benz convertible in exchange for her husband allegedly interfering in a state criminal investigation.
