Robert Menendez, New Jersey senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, has been indicted on three charges of federal burglary for allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Egyptian government.
Nadine Menendez, Menendez’s wife, and three other New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes have also been charged; however, all five defendants in this trial have plead not guilty.
Menendez is being accused of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. Allegedly, the five defendants used Menendez government position to send more aid and military sales in exchange for financial compensation such as gold, a brand-new Mercedes Benz convertible and nearly half a million dollars in cash that was found at the Menendez home.
Authorities revealed that they found envelopes with tens of thousands of dollars in cash that had fingerprints that traced back to one of the other defendants in the indictment.
On Sept. 22, Menendez stepped down from his position as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. However, he has refused to resign from his position as a senator despite other Democrats advising him to step down.
“Senator Menendez is again facing a federal indictment, one that contains shocking allegations of corruption and specific, disturbing details of wrongdoing,” said New Jersey senator Cory Booker. “I believe stepping down is best for those Senator Menendez has spent his life serving.”
These charges stretch as far back as 2018 and go all the way into 2022.
“For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave,” Menendez said in an email statement. “Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.”
In 2019, it is alleged that Menendez called an Agriculture Department official to ask if they could stop opposing an Egyptian company’s venture to monopolize the supply of halal meat in the United States. This call occurred two days after all five defendants attended a dinner with the Egyptian business.
“When Official-1 attempted to explain why the monopoly was detrimental to U.S. interests, MENENDEZ reiterated his demand, in sum and substance, that the USDA stop interfering with IS EG Halal’s monopoly,” the indictment said. “Official-1 did not accede to MENENDEZ’s demand, but IS EG Halal nevertheless kept its monopoly.”
Claire Sanders, political science professor at GC, gave a comment on the situation and what it could mean if Menendez were to be arrested and put in jail.
“The big question that remains is if Senator Menendez will run again in 2024 when his Senate seat comes up for re-election as he deals with federal charges,” Sanders said. “If he decides not to run, the Democratic Party will have the task to protect the open seat from any Republican candidates who may decide to fight the uphill battle of winning a Senate seat from New Jersey.”
She also explained that the Democrats currently hold a slight majority lead in the Senate.
“It would take two-thirds of the Senate to expel a member, and it does not look like there is enough support so far to do so,” Sanders said.
With there likely not being enough members in the Senate to forcibly remove Menendez from his seat, he could hold his seat until he is up for re-election. According to Fox News, Menendez is currently pleading not guilty, and plans to run for re-election in 2024.
