Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) declared Monday that he would neither resign nor stop operating for reelection after he was indicted on corruption expenses on Friday.
Stating that these calling for his resignation “have rushed to judgment … on a restricted set of information,” Menendez declared in a press convention, “I shall be exonerated and proceed to be the senior senator from New Jersey.”
The district legal professional for the Southern District of New York indicted Menendez and his spouse, Nadine, for allegedly accepting a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} in money, checks and gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz in alternate for aiding the Egyptian authorities receive army assist that was being withheld because of accusations of human rights violations. Menendez and his spouse are additionally alleged to have used his place to assist three New Jersey businessmen of their enterprise dealings in Egypt and to evade state and federal prosecution.
Menendez defended the a whole lot of 1000’s in money allegedly discovered stashed in his house in garments and envelopes, and mentioned it got here from his private financial savings account.
“For 30 years, I’ve withdrawn 1000’s of {dollars} in money from my private financial savings account, which I’ve stored for emergencies and due to the historical past of my household going through confiscation in Cuba,” Menendez mentioned.
The indictment, nonetheless, notes that cash-filled envelopes discovered by federal brokers in Menendez’s house bore the fingerprints and DNA of one of many New Jersey businessmen who allegedly offered the cash as a bribe. Menendez didn’t handle the gold bars that had been initially bought by one other of the businessmen, nor did he handle the Mercedez-Benz bought for his spouse by the third businessman.
That is Menendez’s second corruption indictment previously eight years. He was beforehand indicted in 2015 for allegedly pressuring the Division of Well being and Human Providers to drop a Medicare fraud investigation into Dr. Salomon Melgen in alternate for marketing campaign donations and presents, like luxurious journey and lodge lodging. The case resulted in a hung jury in 2017. The Senate Ethics Committee admonished Menendez in 2018 for “actions [that] mirrored discredit upon the Senate.”
Menendez’s defiant declaration that he wouldn’t step apart comes after a lot of the New Jersey Democratic Occasion institution referred to as for his resignation. Seven of the state’s nine-member Democratic Occasion Home delegation referred to as for Menendez to resign. (The one member to defend Menendez is his son, Rep. Rob Menendez.) They’re joined by Gov. Phil Murphy, State Meeting Chief Craig Coughlin, State Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Democratic State Chair LeRoy Jones and quite a few county get together leaders.
Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who represents a hotly contested swing seat in southern New Jersey, introduced Saturday that he would launch a main marketing campaign in opposition to Menendez.
Menendez claimed that these elected lawmakers have “rushed to judgment … as a result of they see a political profit for themselves or somebody round them.”
Thus far, Menendez’s Senate colleagues have remained mum. Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) mentioned he would let the prosecution play out. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is the one senator who joined requires Menendez to resign.
After Menendez’s press convention, the Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee, the chief marketing campaign arm for Senate Republicans, attacked Schumer and different Democrats for remaining “completely silent on the gorgeous accusations.”
