Editor’s note: This report was updated with news of the calls for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign after the broadcast item was aired.
Sending shock waves across New Jersey’s political landscape, Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Friday announced a three-count indictment alleging bribery and corruption by Sen. Bob Menendez. It’s the second time New Jersey’s senior senator has faced federal charges.
Gov. Phil Murphy called on Menendez to resign. As the day wore on, similar calls from other fellow Democrats started to mount. Among those calling for his resignation were U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (3rd), U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th), Senate President Nick Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin and New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman LeRoy J. Jones Jr.
In his statement released late Friday afternoon, Murphy said, “The allegations in the indictment against Senator Menendez and four other defendants are deeply disturbing. These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system. Under our legal system, Senator Menendez and the other defendants have not been found guilty and will have the ability to present evidence disputing these charges, and we must respect the process. However, the alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation.”
The senator’s son, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, who represents the 8th Congressional District, issued a strong statement in support of his father. “I have unwavering confidence in my father and his dedication to the New Jerseyans who he has relentlessly fought for in his long career as a public servant. I strongly believe in his integrity and his values, and look forward to seeing him move past this distraction to continue fighting for our state in the United States Senate,” he said.
“And it must also be said that in my life, I have seen countless detractors who refuse to believe a son of immigrants from Hudson County could rise to be one of one hundred and yet he’s constantly proven them wrong. And thankfully those who know him and what he has stood for his entire career outnumber the naysayers,” Menendez Jr. said.
‘I am not going anywhere’
In a statement released in response to the calls for him to resign, Sen. Menendez said, “Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades. This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”
Earlier, in laying out the case against Menendez, Williams said, “The senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for Senator Menendez using his power and influence.” He asserted Menendez and his wife Nadine helped enrich and protect three New Jersey businessmen — who were also indicted — and benefited the government of Egypt all in return for large bribes. Williams showed photos of gold bars worth $150,000, a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz and envelopes stuffed with cash, all part of a cache of alleged bribes Menendez reportedly traded for influence between 2018 and 2022.
The FBI searched the Menendez residence. Williams explained, “They discovered approximately $500,000 in cash stuffed into envelopes and closets. Some of the cash was stuffed into the senator’s jacket pockets. Some of the envelopes of cash contained Daibes’ fingerprints and Daibes’ DNA. Daibes is Fred Daibes, a developer of Hudson riverfront properties who last year pleaded guilty to financial crimes and is awaiting sentencing.
More on the indictment
The indictment alleges Menendez tried to influence the president’s choice of U.S. attorney in New Jersey — to seat someone “…who Menendez believed could be influenced … to disrupt that same prosecution” of Daibes. The indictment also accuses the senator of accepting the Mercedes-Benz in exchange for trying to derail a criminal investigation in New Jersey of Jose Uribe, the second indicted businessman.
“Fortunately the public officials the senator sought to influence did not bend to the pressure,” Williams said.
The indictment charges a third businessman, Wael Hana, of allegedly bribing Menendez to lock down Hana’s monopoly certifying halal meat for Egypt.
Perhaps the indictment’s most disturbing count is that Menendez wielded his power as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit the Egyptian government.
“Senator Menendez allegedly provided sensitive, non-public U.S. government information to Egyptian officials and otherwise took steps to secretly aid the government of Egypt,” Williams stated.
Nadine Menendez allegedly abetted the schemes as a conduit for cash. The indictment lays out a complex web of conspiracies to commit bribery, fraud and extortion.
Previous corruption case
Menendez beat corruption charges in 2017 when a trial ended in a hung jury.
In a statement Friday, Menendez furiously denied these charges, asserting, “I have been falsely accused before because I refused to back down to the powers that be … the facts are not as presented.” He added, “For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave … there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.”
Menendez is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. If he resigns, Gov. Phil Murphy will be tasked with appointing his replacement.
All the defendants have been summoned to appear in court on Wednesday.
