As the number of lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle calling for Bob Menendez to resign grows amid his indictment on federal bribery charges, the senior senator from New Jersey just lost the support from one of his closest allies in congress.
NJ Sen. Bob Menendez says he won’t resign as calls grow for him to step down amid indictment
The indictment also alleges that Menendez provided sensitive U.S. government information and took other steps to secretly help Egypt, including ghost-writing a letter on behalf of Egypt pushing other senators to lift a hold on $300 million in aid to the country.Abbe Lowell, the same attorney defending Hunter Biden against his tax and firearm charges, to represent him
In almost the same language he used in 2017 after a mistrial on federal corruption charges, he cast the indictment Friday in political terms and vowed to continue his work in the Senate. said he will return $5,000 in contributions from a political action committee tied to Menendez"in envelopes stuffed with $100 bills"On Monday, Ohio's Sherrod Brown became the second Democratic member of the Senate to call on Menendez to resign. Brown, who serves as the chair of the Banking Committee, said Menendez"has broken the public trust and should resign."
The senator, his wife and their co-defendants are scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday morning. Investigators with the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation were looking into whether Menendez offered to contact the Justice Department to try to help Daibes, a New Jersey developer and one-time bank chairman — as well as longtime friend of the senator. Prosecutors said that in exchange for cash payments and gifts, Daibes asked Menendez to interfere with the office of New Jersey U.S. Attorney Phil Selinger. The alleged goal was for federal prosecutors to go easy on Daibes.
The issue of whether Menendez improperly accepted gold bars is just one part of the investigation. Investigators were also probing his connections and possible gifts he received from a halal meat company that later won an exclusive government contract in Egypt. Investigators sought to know if Menendez used his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which oversees billions in aid to Egypt, to help that New Jersey firm get the contract in exchange for gifts.
Within weeks of their engagement, she incorporated a business, Strategic International Business Consultants LLC, according to state records. Her foreclosure case was dismissed soon after. The following year, her assets included gold bars valued between $100,000 to $250,000, according to a Senate disclosure form amended by Menendez in March of 2022.
David Schertler, a lawyer for Menendez’s wife, said his client"denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these charges in court.” There was no answer at the couple's Englewood Cliffs home.A spokesperson for Hana said the charges"have absolutely no merit." A spokesperson for IS EG Halal has issued a denial of ever giving the senator any gifts and said they won the Egyptian contact on their merits.
The 2018 contest was noteworthy because it came just after the 2017 mistrial and the Republican Party had poured millions into defeating him. He prevailed, breaking a Republican lock on power in Washington at the time, and hasn't hinted at retirement since.
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