WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 10: Committee chairman Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill March 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. The hearing, titled Examining U.S. Security Cooperation and Assistance, included a discussion about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. response. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Sen. Bob Menendez (D–New Jersey) said that he will not bow to pressure from the state Democratic party to resign after his federal bribery indictment.
Menendez spoke in Union City, New Jersey, where he once served as mayor, claiming his innocence.
“The allegations leveled against me are just that–allegations,” Menendez said. “I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I will still be New Jersey’s senior senator.”
The senator is facing accusations of bribery for allegedly using his office to help the Egyptian government in exchange for cash.
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Federal prosecutors charged Menendez after conducting a search of his home in June 2022. They found $550,000 in cash, including additional gold bars, in Menendez’s home safe box.
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscations in Cuba,” he stated. “This may seem old-fashioned, but there were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income I have lawfully derived over those 30 years.”
This is Menendez’s third time being investigated by the FBI since becoming senator, including the two indictments for corruption charges he faced in the past decade.
“Prosecutors get it wrong sometimes,” he said at a press conference. “Sadly, I know that.”
Menendez’s wife is also facing charges in the case.
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