'i'm not going anywhere': New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez rejects calls to resign

 Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is making clean that he's going to no longer step down notwithstanding mounting stress from both Washington and his home state that he resign.

some house Democrats and New Jersey Democratic birthday celebration leaders, consisting of the governor, have called for the senator's resignation after he used to be indicted in Friday on corruption charges in the big apple metropolis.

but Menendez said Friday night time he had no goal of leaving his publish, including that he plans to continue serving his country amid the charges.

"people who accept as true with in justice consider in innocence until verified responsible," Menendez stated in a declaration. "i am now not going anywhere."

In response to the charges, Menendez stated in an in advance declaration that the indictment used to be full of false accusations and a part of an energetic political smear campaign of "nameless resources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety wherein none exists."

POLITICS

Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on corruption fees in New Jersey

Menendez will step down from his post on the foreign relations Committee, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer introduced Friday. "Senator Menendez has rightly determined to step down quickly from his role as Chairman of the overseas relations Committee till the matter has been resolved," he said.

The charges followed a federal investigation that claimed Menendez allegedly prevalent luxurious items and massive sums of cash in bribes in alternate for committing corrupt acts, such as imparting touchy records to the authorities of Egypt.

The 39-web page indictment was unsealed in ny federal courtroom. Menendez, sixty nine, and his wife, Nadine, 56, are named inside the indictment and charged with 3 counts. Fred Daibes, a actual property developer, Wael Hana and Joseph Uribe had been also named and are going through two costs each.

All five are anticipated to seem in federal court in ny at 10:30 a.m Wednesday for their first hearing. more fees can be delivered as Damian Williams, the U.S. legal professional for the Southern District of new York, stated the research is ongoing. The development comes about six years after Menendez was once tried on unrelated claims of corruption — a tribulation that ended with a 

hung jury.

The indictment accuses Menendez and his spouse of accomplishing "a corrupt relationship with 3 New Jersey pals and businessmen" — Hana, Uribe and Daibes — and accepting "masses of hundreds of dollars of bribes in trade for the use of" the senator's strength and impact over a years-long dating.

The Menendez couple acquired bribes that blanketed coins, gold bars, bills closer to a domestic loan, reimbursement for an extremely low-or-no-display activity, a luxurious vehicle and different things of fee, the indictment claims. In a search of the pair's domestic, prosecutors stated they uncovered numerous high-fee gold bars and extra than $480,000 in cash — a whole lot of it filled into envelopes hidden inner jackets bearing Menendez's name.

The senator stated Friday that prosecutors "misrepresented the ordinary paintings of a Congressional office."

He endured, "On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have got attacked my spouse for the longstanding friendships she had earlier than she and that i even met."

"the ones at the back of this campaign genuinely cannot receive that a first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings may want to upward push to be a U.S. Senator and serve with honor and difference. Even worse, they see me as an impediment inside the method of their broader political dreams."

Menendez is sharply criticized by using Democrats and compared to Rep. George Santos

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy stated Friday that Menendez has no longer been attempted or determined guilty, however referred to as the expenses too egregious to skip.

"The alleged data are so serious that they compromise the capacity of Senator Menendez to correctly represent the human beings of our state. consequently, i'm calling for his instant resignation," Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement.

other New Jersey officers, which includes the nation Democratic party chair, LeRoy Jones Jr., entreated Menendez to resign. Jones defined it as "the nice path of motion" to make sure the state remains centered on the forthcoming legislative session.

The strain is also growing in Washington. Rep. Jeff Jackson, D-N.C., in comparison Menendez to Rep. George Santos, who was charged with fraud, money-laundering and theft in may additionally.

"I encourage my colleagues to address this matter continually with how we've got addressed Rep. Santos," Jackson wrote on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter.

Rep. Dean Phillips also stated that Menendez need to step down. "every people entrusted with securing americans' faith in government must improve the ethical bar for the house, the Senate, and the superb court. adequate of this," the Minnesota Democrat stated.

however amongst those who've held again grievance towards Menendez is Schumer, D-N.Y., who stated, "Bob Menendez has been a committed public servant and is usually fighting difficult for the human beings of recent Jersey. He has a right to due method and a honest trial."

Prosecutors say sensitive info was given to

 Egypt

From 2018 to 2022, Menendez allegedly used his function, power and have an effect on to, among different matters, hand over touchy records that benefited the authorities of Egypt as well as Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman with close ties to Egyptian government officials, and others.

That courting used to be commenced thanks to Nadine Menendez, the indictment suggests.

Prosecutors say that Nadine Menendez began courting the senator in February 2018. They got engaged in October 2019, and had been married the subsequent 12 months.

quickly after the 2 commenced their courtship, the senator's spouse, who then went by way of the call Nadine Arslanian, introduced Menendez to her longtime pal, Hana. via several meetings and dinners that she arranged but that have been paid for by means of Hana or his associates, Egyptian officers could allegedly enhance requests for overseas army income and financing.

In alternate for Menendez's promise to use his function as senator to push through the income and useful resource to Egypt, Hana promised to place the lawmaker's companion on his organization's payroll in a activity she barely, if at all, had to reveal up for.

Months into their courting, Menendez allegedly sought private information from the state department concerning the quantity and nationality of people operating at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.

Prosecutors observe that this information isn't categorised, but that it is deemed highly sensitive "due to the fact it can pose enormous operational safety worries if disclosed to a foreign government or if made public."

as soon as he obtained this statistics, Menendez then despatched the info to his female friend, who sent it to Hana and who forwarded it to an Egyptian authorities professional. Later that month, at a Hana-hosted dinner at a excessive-quit eating place, Menendez allegedly additionally told Hana personal data approximately the U.S.'s provision of navy resource to Egypt.

This used to be, once more, despatched along to an unnamed Egyptian legit with the message, "The ban on small arms and ammunition to Egypt has been lifted. that means sales can start. so that it will consist of sniper rifles amongst different articles."

Prosecutors allege that later in may additionally 2018, Nadine Menendez shared with the senator a request from an unidentified Egyptian reputable searching for help in editing and drafting a letter lobbying U.S. senators to guide U.S. useful resource to Egypt.

She told Menendez she desired him to prepare the letter because Hana and an legitimate for the Egyptian authorities (whom she called the "preferred" in communications ) helped her get "clearance for a task," in step with the indictment.

It then says that Menendez then did as he was once requested: enhancing and ghost-scripting this letter soliciting for lawmakers release $300 million in resource money for Egypt.

The senator allegedly attempted to disrupt criminal cases

Menendez also allegedly stepped in to disrupt crook investigations and prosecutions targeting Daibes as well as Uribe and his pals.

The senator allegedly involved himself in a new Jersey prosecution of an Uribe associate and a separate federal crook research into Daibes.

"Menendez advocated that the president nominate a U.S. legal professional who Menendez believed he should influence with recognize to Daibes and sought to disrupt a federal criminal prosecution undertaken with the aid of the U.S. legal professional's workplace for the District of recent Jersey of Daibes," the Justice branch said in its announcement.

For this attempt, prosecutors say, the Menendez's obtained a Mercedes-Benz convertible well worth greater than $60,000 provided by means of Hana and Uribe; an extra $15,000 in cash was once supplied by Uribe for the car's down payment in April 2019.

Menendez seems to be the primary sitting senator to be indicted two times on 2 unrelated criminal instances, in step with facts from the U.S. Senate ancient workplace

This letter used to be allegedly despatched directly to Egyptian officials. both Menendez and his wife later deleted the e-mail which include the request, prosecutors allege.

The pair took a journey to Egypt in October 2021 — a go to organized after communicating directly with an unnamed Egyptian professional for this cause, prosecutors stated. After this specific ride, Menendez allegedly executed an internet search for "how a lot is one kilo of gold well worth" after receiving more than one gold bars from Daibes.

Federal prosecutors additionally allege that Menendez "improperly counseled and pressured an official at the usa branch of Agriculture for the motive of protecting a business monopoly granted to Hana by using Egypt and used in component to fund the bribes being paid" to the senator and his w

ife.