NEW YORK (AP) — Highly effective Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was charged Friday with secretly aiding the authoritarian authorities of Egypt and making an attempt to thwart the felony prosecution of a good friend in trade for gold bars and money underneath a corruption indictment that accuses him of utilizing his overseas affairs affect for private achieve.
Menendez was pressured to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee however stated he wouldn’t resign from Congress, although New Jersey’s governor, a fellow Democrat, and different Democrats within the state’s congressional delegation stated he ought to.
The indictment, the second in eight years towards the 69-year-old senator, alleges an unlawful commingling of Menendez’s obligations to advance U.S. priorities and his personal curiosity in cultivating relationships with rich businessmen. It additionally consists of fees towards his spouse and three New Jersey businessmen who authorities say showered the couple with cash, gold and a luxurious automotive in trade for official favors.
A earlier indictment of Menendez stemming from completely different allegations led to 2017 with a deadlocked jury.
Hours after the newest case was unsealed, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy demanded Menendez’s instant resignation, saying the allegations had been “so critical that they compromise” the senator’s capacity to serve. Extra requires him to resign got here from New Jersey Reps. Invoice Pascrell, Andy Kim and Mikie Sherrill, amongst others.
Menendez sounded defiant in response to requires him to go away workplace, saying in a press release late Friday, “I’m not going anyplace.”
Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer stated Menendez would step down as chairman of the Overseas Relations panel “till the matter has been resolved,” as per the principles of the Senate Democratic caucus, however Schumer stopped wanting calling for him to to resign.
Menendez accused prosecutors of misrepresenting “the traditional work of a congressional workplace” and stated he wouldn’t permit his work within the Senate to be distracted by “baseless allegations.”
Authorities who searched Menendez’s residence final 12 months discovered greater than $100,000 value of gold bars, in addition to over $480,000 in money — a lot of it hidden in closets, clothes and a protected, prosecutors say. Photographs within the indictment present money that was stuffed in envelopes in jackets bearing Menendez’s title. Investigators additionally say they found a Google search by Menendez for the worth of a “kilo of gold,” and DNA of 1 man prosecutors say bribed him on an envelope stuffed with hundreds of {dollars}.
One set of allegations is that Menendez immediately interfered in felony investigations, together with by pushing to put in a federal prosecutor in New Jersey he believed could possibly be influenced in a felony case towards a businessman and affiliate of the senator. Prosecutors say he additionally tried to make use of his place of energy to attempt to meddle in a separate felony investigation by the New Jersey Lawyer Basic’s workplace.
Different accusations embrace repeated actions by Menendez to learn Egypt regardless of U.S. authorities misgivings over the nation’s human rights file that lately have prompted Congress to connect restrictions on support. His efforts embrace ghostwriting a letter to fellow senators encouraging them to carry a maintain on $300 million in support to Egypt, one of many prime recipients of U.S. authorities help, in addition to transmitting nonpublic data to Egyptian officers about navy points, the indictment says.
Menendez, in an emailed assertion, stated: “For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly tried to silence my voice and dig my political grave. Since this investigation was leaked practically a 12 months in the past, there was an energetic smear marketing campaign of nameless sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety the place none exists.”
David Schertler, a lawyer for Menendez’s spouse, Nadine, stated she “denies any felony conduct and can vigorously contest these fees in court docket.”
Menendez seems to be the primary sitting senator in U.S. historical past to have been indicted on two unrelated felony issues, based on the Senate Historic Workplace. His trial on fees that he pressured authorities officers to resolve a matter involving a Florida eye physician — who had lavished him with items and marketing campaign contributions — ended with a deadlocked jury.
He faces reelection subsequent 12 months in a bid to increase his three-decade profession in Washington as Democrats maintain a slim majority within the Senate.
“Bob Menendez has been a devoted public servant and is at all times preventing onerous for the folks of New Jersey. He has a proper to due course of and a good trial,” Democratic chief Schumer stated in an emailed assertion.
Prosecutors allege Menendez and his spouse accepted a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} in bribes from three enterprise associates, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes. He used his affect to push to appoint Philip Sellinger as U.S. legal professional as a result of he believed he may affect Sellinger to guard Daibes, a longtime good friend and distinguished New Jersey developer who confronted felony prosecution, they stated. Sellinger, who presently serves within the place, just isn’t accused of any wrongdoing.
Daibes pleaded responsible final 12 months to financial institution fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced in October. His plea deal requires him to serve solely probation in that case.
The White Home declined to touch upon the indictment, together with on Biden’s nomination of Sellinger.
Requests for remark from legal professionals for Daibes and Uribe weren’t instantly returned. A spokesperson for Hana, Steven Goldberg, stated the indictment was nonetheless being reviewed however that the costs seem to have “completely no advantage.”
In April 2020, shortly after assembly with an Egyptian official, authorities allege, Menendez lobbied then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to extend American engagement in stalled negotiations involving Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to construct a dam over the Nile River, a key overseas coverage subject for Egypt.
Individually, after Menendez referred to as a authorities official about an investigation of a Uribe affiliate, Uribe and Hana labored to supply the senator’s spouse with a Mercedes-Benz convertible. The indictment says that after the transaction was full, Nadine Menendez texted her husband to say, “Congratulations mon amour de la vie, we’re the proud house owners of a 2019 Mercedes,” with a coronary heart emoji.
The primary time Menendez was indicted, he had been accused of utilizing his political affect to stress authorities officers to resolve a Medicare billing dispute in favor of a good friend — Dr. Salomon Melgen — securing visas for the physician’s girlfriends and serving to defend a contract the physician had to supply port-screening gear to the Dominican Republic.
Menendez has at all times maintained his innocence, and prosecutors dropped the case after a jury deadlocked in November 2017 on fees together with bribery, fraud and conspiracy, and a decide dismissed some counts.
The son of Cuban immigrants, Menendez has held public workplace repeatedly since 1986, when he was elected mayor of Union Metropolis, New Jersey. He was a state legislator and spent 14 years within the U.S. Home of Representatives. In 2006, Gov. Jon Corzine appointed Menendez to the Senate seat he vacated when he turned governor.
The brand new fees observe a yearslong investigation that examined, amongst different issues, how Hana’s firm — IS EG Halal — was in a position to safe sole authorization from the Egyptian authorities to certify that meat imported into that nation meets Islamic dietary necessities.
The designation shocked U.S. agriculture officers. Beforehand, a number of different corporations had been doing that certification, however they had been dismissed by Egyptian agriculture officers in favor of IS EG Halal, which had no earlier expertise within the subject.
Prosecutors say Menendez then pressured a U.S. Division of Agriculture official to cease opposing Hana’s firm as the only halal certifier. Hana’s firm was used to ship bribes funds to a enterprise arrange by Menendez’s spouse referred to as Strategic Worldwide Enterprise Consultants, LLC, prosecutors allege.
Senate disclosure kinds amended by Menendez in March 2022 present Nadine Menendez’s property included gold bars valued between $100,000 to $250,000. Between April and June of 2022, the couple cashed out no less than a part of their treasured metallic holdings, kinds present, promoting between $200,000 and $400,000 value of gold bars, whereas retaining no less than $250,000 value.
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Richer reported from Boston and Tucker reported from Washington. Related Press reporters Michael Catalini in Trenton and Farnoush Amiri, Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed.
