New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez arrived in court Wednesday morning to respond to explosive allegations that he was bribed with $100,000 worth of gold bars and wads of cash to benefit New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government to do a favor.
The Democrat is making his first appearance in federal court in Manhattan as more colleagues call for him to resign from Congress.
He arrived hand in hand with his wife Nadine, who is also expected to be charged.
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, and his wife Nadine Arslanian arrive at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City on September 27, 2023
A protester holds a sign as the senator and his wife arrive at court
Menendez was forced to resign as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee after charges were filed last week.
But he has been defiant and says allegations that he abused his power to line his own pockets are unfounded.
He said he was confident he would be exonerated and had no intention of leaving the Senate.
It is the second corruption case in a decade against Menendez, whose last trial ended with various allegations when jurors failed to reach a verdict in 2017.
Authorities said they found nearly $500,000 in cash – much of it hidden in clothing and closets – as well as more than $100,000 in a search of the New Jersey home that Menendez, 69, shares with his wife. Dollars in gold bars.
In his first public comments since the indictment, Menendez said Monday that the cash found in his home had been withdrawn from his personal savings accounts over the years and that he had kept it on hand for emergencies.
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker joined calls for Menendez to resign on Tuesday, saying in a statement that the indictment contained “shocking allegations of corruption and specific, disturbing details of misconduct.”
About half of Senate Democrats have now said Menendez should resign, including several who are running for re-election next year.
Also scheduled to be indicted Wednesday is Menendez’s wife, Nadine, who prosecutors say played a key role in collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from three New Jersey businessmen who sought help from the powerful lawmaker.
A lawyer for Nadine Menendez said she also denies the allegations and will defend herself against the allegations.
Two of the businessmen – Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes – are also expected to be charged.
The third man, Wael Hana, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges including conspiracy to commit bribery.
Hana was arrested at New York’s Kennedy Airport on Tuesday after voluntarily returning from Egypt to face the charges and was released pending trial.
One of the envelopes full of cash found at the senator’s home bore Daibes’ DNA and was stamped with the real estate developer’s return address, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say Hana promised to put Menendez’s wife on his company’s payroll, in a low- or no-show job, in exchange for Menendez using his influential position to influence foreign military sales and financing to Egypt to facilitate.
Prosecutors allege Hana also paid $23,000 toward her mortgage, wrote $30,000 checks to her consulting firm, promised her envelopes of cash, sent her exercise equipment and purchased some of the gold bars found in the couple’s home.
The indictment accuses Menendez of repeated actions on behalf of Egypt despite U.S. government concerns about human rights in the country that led Congress to impose aid restrictions in recent years.
Prosecutors, who detailed meetings and dinners between Menendez and Egyptian officials, said Menendez passed sensitive U.S. government information to Egyptian officials.
They say he also wrote a letter to his fellow senators urging them to rescind $300 million in aid to Egypt, a major recipient of U.S. military support.
Prosecutors also accuse Menendez of pressuring a U.S. agriculture official to stop opposing a lucrative deal that gave Hana’s company a monopoly on certifying imported meat that met religious standards.
They also allege that Menendez attempted to interfere in criminal investigations against employees.
In one case, he allegedly pushed for the appointment of a federal prosecutor in New Jersey whom Menendez believed he could influence to derail a criminal case against Daibes.