Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges, including bribery and honest services fraud.
The Department of Justice alleges that Menendez and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from three businessmen in exchange for political favors, including advancing Egyptian government interests.
Menendez has denied the charges, saying that he will be exonerated when all the facts are presented. However, dozens of his fellow Democrats have urged him to resign, citing the growing political pressure against him.
The indictment alleges that Menendez accepted gold bars and large amounts of cash in bribes. It also says that he used his position as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit the Egyptian government.
One example cited in the indictment is a 2018 text message in which Menendez informed Wael Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman, that he had removed a hold on an arms deal with Egypt. Hana then forwarded the information to an Egyptian official who replied with a "thumbs up" emoji.
Menendez is a staunch supporter of Israel and has been a vocal critic of US adversaries, including Venezuela and Cuba. He also opposed the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal. Some of his political allies, including pro-Israel groups, have come to his defense since the indictment was announced. “The pro-Israel community deeply appreciates Senator Menendez’s leadership in strengthening the US-Israel relationship,” a spokesperson for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a lobby group, told Jewish Insider in a statement.
The Department of State and the White House have refused to comment on the charges, citing the ongoing legal case.
