US Senator Bob Menendez indicted for corruption

US federal prosecutors on Friday indicted New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert "Bob" Menendez and his wife Nadine Arslanian on bribery charges.

Menendez reacted to the announcement by claiming to be the victim of "an active smear campaign," adding that he "will not be distracted" from his "important" work in the Senate.

His wife, too, claimed innocence and pledged to "vigorously defend herself" against the charges in court.

Menendez released a statement calling the allegations "baseless."

"Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings could rise to be a US senator and serve with honor and distinction," he said.

The senator's statement said the indictment "misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office."

Cash and gold stash discovered during search

Prosecutors had brought a separate similar case against Menendez, 69, six years ago yet failed to win a conviction when the jury remained deadlocked over the question of his guilt.

The new charges were filed after federal investigators turned up nearly $600,000 (roughly €560,000) in gold and cash hidden at Menendez and Arslanian's home during a search. 

Menendez, who has served in the Senate since 2006 and chairs its foreign affairs committee, now faces the ignominy of being the only sitting US senator ever to be charged with two separate felony crimes as he runs for re-election next year.

The Senator stepped down temporarily from chairing the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee until the case is resolved, amid calls for him to to resign from the Senate. He defiantly rejected such calls late on Friday.

"It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere," he said in a statement.

President Joe Biden's Democratic party currently holds a razor-thin 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Three counts of bribery each, prosecutors seek asset forfeiture

Menendez and his wife are accused of receiving cash, gold, mortgage payments, compensation for a job with minimal requirements, a luxury car and other gifts in exchange for Menendez's help in various legal and political instances. 

Both Menendez and Arslanian face three counts each of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.

Prosecutors say they seek the forfeiture of Menendez and Arslanian's assets — including their New Jersey home, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz, and roughly $566,000 in cash, gold and bank funds.

Menendez first publicly disclosed that he was the subject of a new federal investigation last October.

Senate Historical Office records show that 13 senators have been indicted while in office. Six were convicted, but two of those convictions were overturned. 

Immigrant son makes good, gains political influence — sells favors?

Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, has held public office continuously since 1986, when he was elected mayor of Union City, New Jersey. He then became a state legislator and spent 14 years in the US House of Representatives. 

He became a US senator in 2006 when Jon Corzine appointed him to the seat Corzine vacated when he was elected governor of New Jersey. During his time in the Senate, Menendez has built his influence, becoming the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez's previous brush with federal prosecutors stemmed from allegations that he had received lavish gifts and campaign contributions from a wealthy Florida eye doctor in exchange for the senator's help in resolving a Medicare billing dispute, procuring a visa for the doctor's girlfriend and protecting a lucrative business deal the doctor had in the Dominican Republic.

Menendez claimed that, in his view, the luxury trips to Paris and the Dominican Republic and the other gifts the doctor had paid for were tokens of friendship, not payment for political favors.

Re-elected to the Senate after hung jury forced feds to drop case

Menendez was largely thought to be at the end of his political career as he faced federal bribery charges in 2016. Yet, prosecutors were forced to drop their case after failing to convince a jury of his wrongdoing. 

The Senate Ethics Committee later reprimanded the New Jersey Democrat for having accepted undisclosed gifts in exchange for using his influence to enrich his Florida benefactor.

The donor, Salomon Melgen, was convicted of healthcare fraud in 2017, but then-President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.

Menendez went on to defy the odds and win re-election in the 2018 midterm election against a well-financed opponent.

He is largely expected to seek re-election next November.

Among the accusations facing Menendez now are claims that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts in exchange for helping three New Jersey businessmen, as well as passing sensitive US government information to Egyptian government officials.

Menendez is accused of seeking to protect two of the men from Justice Department investigations; and enrich a third, an Egyptian-American, by protecting a monopoly granted to him by the Egyptian government for the delivery of halal meats to Egypt.

"Among other actions," say prosecutors, "Menendez provided sensitive US Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt."

Menendez is also said to have ghost-written a letter on behalf of Egypt, urging other senators to lift a hold on $300 million in aid to the country.

Menendez and his wife could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

js/msh (AP, Reuters)