US senator accused of large bribes who refuses to resign

When FBI agents searched the residence of Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, they found nearly half a million dollars in cash hidden in envelopes, closets and in his jacket pockets. But despite the serious accusation by the Prosecutor's Office of having received “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for enriching businessmen and benefiting the Egyptian Government, the senator from New Jersey (USA) refuses to resign.

This was stated in a statement a few hours after the Federal Prosecutor's Office for the Southern District of New York made the accusations public. "Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue fighting for the people of New Jersey with the same success that I have had over the last five decades," Menéndez says in his brief. written.

The politician also suggests that the requests for resignation are due to racist prejudices. "It doesn't escape me how quickly some are quick to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I'm not going anywhere," he stresses. A position that, among others, clashes with that of the governor of New Jersey, also a Democrat Phil Murphy, who had asked Menéndez to resign after learning that the senator was facing a "serious" accusation of federal charges that "compromises" his ability to "effectively represent" the inhabitants of their state.

Although he refuses to leave his seat, it has been confirmed that the Democratic legislator will no longer chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after being indicted. "Senator Menéndez has decided, rightly, to temporarily resign from his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee until the matter is resolved," Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democratic bloc in the Senate, reported this past Friday.

Accusation

The Menéndez family would have received large amounts of money between 2018 and 2022

Federal Prosecutors accuse him of using his influence and power, including his leadership role on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to benefit the Egyptian government in various ways. Among other actions, the senator allegedly provided confidential US government information to Egyptian officials and took steps to secretly assist Abdel Fattah al Sisi's government.

The compensation for the Menéndez family, which would have occurred from at least 2018 to 2022, would be cash, gold, mortgage payments, a job in which almost zero presence was required for Nadine Arslanian, the senator's wife. , and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

Federal prosecutor Damian Williams detailed that when FBI agents searched the senator's residence and safe they found "approximately $500,000 in cash (about 468,847 euros), stuffed in envelopes and cabinets" and that "some of the money was stuffed in his pockets." of the senator's jacket.

Others investigated

Three businessmen who bribed Menéndez are also accused

The Democratic senator and his wife are charged with three counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit fraud in the honest rendering of services and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Additionally, the three businessmen who allegedly corrupted Menéndez are charged in the case: Wael Hana, José Uribe and Fred Daibes.

This is the second time the politician has been accused of federal bribery. In 2015, he was charged with 14 criminal charges related to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lavish gifts and campaign donations he received from a Florida ophthalmologist.