U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) filed late Monday afternoon to run as an independent in the November general election, seeking a fourth term while under indictment.
“[I]t displeases me to have to go this route, thanks to overzealous prosecutors, but I will do what must be done to continue to uphold my oath of office for my constituents,” Menendez said in a statement. The announcement serves as a potential spoiler in a high-stakes election, given Democrats’ narrow control in the Senate.
In Menendez’s corruption trial Tuesday, two new FBI witnesses took the stand, providing details about a dinner meeting in May 2019 at a Morton’s Steakhouse in Washington, D.C. where Menendez and his wife Nadine met with Egyptian officials. According to the agents, who took part in a stakeout outside the restaurant, Nadine allegedly asked the officials, “What else can the love of my life do for you?” Prosecutors are trying to prove the senator was acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
Another witness also took the stand Tuesday, answering questions about the safety deposit box found during the raid on the Menendez home.
