Federal prosecutors filed new charges Thursday towards Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., accusing him of violating a prohibition on individuals of Congress from appearing as an agent of a international main.
The superseding indictment mentioned Menendez “made multiple requests for the U.S. Department of Justice to commence an investigation against another person for allegedly failing to register under FARA.”
Menendez confronted a sweeping indictment in overdue September accusing him and his spouse of accepting masses of hundreds of bucks of bribes in alternate for the use of the senator’s energy and affect to hunt to offer protection to and enrich the businessman.
The superseding indictment contains 4 new charges and looks to mark the primary time a sitting member of Congress has ever been charged with conspiracy for a public legitimate to behave as a international agent.
The indictment alleges Menendez conspired along with his spouse, Nadine Menendez, and New Jersey businessman Wael Hana to have the senator act as an agent of Egypt.
The indictment contains new footage of Menendez, his spouse and Hana eating with Egyptian officers that prosecutors mentioned had been a part of a “corrupt agreement” to give you the senator and his spouse with masses of hundreds of bucks in bribes in alternate for legitimate acts taken to profit the Egyptians.
Sen. Bob Menendez departs the Senate flooring within the Capitol Sept. 28, 2023, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Once Nadine Menendez knowledgeable her buddy Hana that she was once courting Menendez, prosecutors mentioned the 2 “arranged a series of meetings and dinners” with Egyptian officers. In alternate for bribe bills, Menendez was once supposed to lend a hand carry a block on U.S. army aide to Egypt, the indictment says.
“The new allegation that Wael Hana was part of a plot concocted over dinner to enlist Senator Menendez as an agent of the Egyptian Government is as absurd as it is false,” Hana’s attorney, Larry Lustberg, mentioned in a commentary to ABC News. “As with the other charges in this indictment, Mr. Hana will vigorously defend against this baseless allegation.”
The new indictment additionally alleges Nadine Menendez arrange an LLC to obtain bribe bills, quoting a message from her announcing “every time I’m in a middle person for a deal I am asking to get paid and this is my consulting company.”
As a part of the brand new charges, federal prosecutors sought to grasp the senator’s house in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, the 2019 Mercedes convertible prosecutors mentioned Nadine Menendez purchased with bribe cash, just about part 1,000,000 greenbacks in money and more than one gold bars.
Reached via telephone, the senator’s protection legal professional, David Kolansky, mentioned he had no quick remark.
The superseding indictment says Menendez “made multiple requests for the U.S. Department of Justice to commence an investigation against another person for allegedly failing to register under FARA,” who seems to be former Republican congressman David Rivera from Florida, who Menendez accused of being an agent for Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.
Menendez, in addition to his spouse, pleaded no longer in charge to the primary set of charges on Sept. 27.
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., seems prior to the Senate Judiciary Committee at a listening to on nominations on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 4, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters, FILE
Sen. Marco Rubio, the No. 2 member at the Senate Intelligence Committee at the back of Menendez, informed newshounds simply after the news broke that he had no longer but observed the reporting, however referred to as it regarding.
“Yeah, I mean, who’s in favor of that? I mean, of course it’s concerning,” Rubio mentioned, however added that Menendez has a proper to protect himself.
“I’m hearing it from you for the first time so if he wants to defend his record, he has a right to do so. And in our country, the government is tasked with the job of proving those cases,” Rubio informed newshounds.
Menendez has mentioned he’ll no longer step down and strongly denounced the charges in a press convention.
“Everything I’ve accomplished I’ve worked for despite the naysayers and everyone who has underestimated me,” he mentioned on Sept. 25. “I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet. But as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator.”
ABC News’ Elizabeth Landers contributed to this record.
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