U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife pleaded not guilty Monday in a New York federal court to new obstruction of justice charges. The latest allegations are part of a now 18-count indictment returned last week on New Jersey’s senior U.S. Senator.
Prosecutors have charged the couple of conspiring with three businessmen to accept bribes of cash, gold bars and a Mercedes in exchange for political favors. Two of the three businessmen included in the indictment pleaded not guilty but the third, Jose Uribe, changed his plea to guilty two weeks ago and agreed to testify against the others at a trial set for May 6. The newest charges against the Menendezes stem from gifts prosecutors say they received from Uribe.
Meanwhile, the top two Democratic candidates vying to replace Menendez continue their tug-of-war in the state’s county conventions. U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3rd) on Sunday won the Ocean County Democratic convention, his sixth party line endorsement. Kim defeated first lady Tammy Murphy 86% to 13%. Murphy recently landed wins in the Bergen and Somerset’s Democratic conventions. On Monday night, they will battle it out for two more endorsements in Mercer and Cape May counties.
