Menendez, wife plead not guilty in corruption case
NEW YORK — Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of pocketing bribes of cash and gold bars in exchange for wielding his political influence to secretly advance Egyptian interests and do favors for local businessmen.
Menendez led his wife, Nadine, who also pleaded not guilty in the case, by the hand out of the courtroom after the brief hearing in the lower Manhattan federal courthouse days after prosecutors unsealed an indictment alleging vast corruption by the Democrat. The couple ignored shouted questions from reporters as they left the courthouse. Menendez gave a tight-lipped smile as he stepped into a car.
A defiant Menendez has said allegations that he abused his power to line his pockets are baseless. He has said he is confident he will be exonerated and has no intention of leaving the Senate.
Still, calls for Menendez to resign continued to mount on Wednesday with Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, saying “he should step down.” More than half of Senate Democrats have now said that Menendez should resign, including fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking to reporters hours after Menendez’s court appearance, did not call for Menendez to resign and said Menendez would address his Democratic colleagues on Thursday. “We all know that senators — for senators, there’s a much much higher standard. And clearly, when you read the indictment, Senator Menendez fell way, way below that standard,” said Schumer, Democrat of New York.
Menendez spoke in court only when each defendant stood to acknowledge that they understood the charges against them. A lawyer entered the not guilty plea for Menendez, who was forced to step down as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee after being indicted. The senator was released on a $100,000 bond, and he must surrender any personal passports but will be allowed to keep an official passport that would allow him to travel outside the US for government business. The judge ordered him not to have contact outside of the presence of lawyers with his co-defendants except for his wife.
He also cannot talk about the case, outside of the presence of lawyers, with members of his Senate staff, Foreign Relations Committee staff, or political advisers who have personal knowledge about the allegations. It was not immediately clear how those restrictions would affect his work.