Sen. Bob Menendez blasted federal prosecutors for “prosecuting” him with “sensational” charges, denied being a foreign agent and warned lawmakers they could be next in a bizarre tirade in the Senate on Tuesday.
“I am innocent and I intend to prove my innocence, not only to myself, but to the precedent this case will set for you and future members of the Senate,” he said in a nearly 20-minute speech.
The Democratic senator from New Jersey is accused of bribery and corruption, including using his position to enrich Egypt’s government and for accepting luxury wristwatches and other lavish gifts from a businessman to benefit Qatar.
He tackled the charges against him head-on on Tuesday, arguing there was no evidence of gold bars, accusing prosecutors of trying to “poison the jury pool” against him and, at one point, bursting into tears when he spoke about his time in prison. government.
“After 50 years of public service, I didn’t want to celebrate my golden jubilee this way,” he said, choking back tears. “But I have never betrayed the public’s trust.”
Senator Bob Menendez took to the Senate on Monday to passionately defend himself against corruption charges and warn colleagues they could be next
Menendez has resisted pressure to resign since the indictment was first revealed in September.
The charges against him resulted in a raid on his New Jersey home and were filled with an array of colorful details, including thousands of dollars in gold bars, cash stuffed into Menendez’s clothes and text messages about a Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible worth over $60,000.
He and his wife Nadine face three federal charges each related to bribery, conspiracy and racketeering. They have pleaded not guilty.
The senator has hit back hard from the start, taking his defense to a new level on Monday with his impassioned speech in which he came on the attack and accused prosecutors of wanting “victory, not justice.”
“By filing three charges,” he said, “the government is able to keep the sensational story in the press, poisoning the jury and trying to convict me in the court of public opinion.”
“The U.S. attorney’s office is not in the business of prosecuting, it’s in the business of prosecuting. They seek victory, not justice.”
Much of his speech appeared to be directed at his Senate colleagues. He argued that his actions were consistent with his duties as a senator and warned his colleagues that the allegations could have a “chilling impact” on all their work.
“The sky’s the limit if they want to come after you,” Menendez said, adding “what a chilling effect that would have on the mere engagement of these conversations and questions.”
He also denounced his colleagues who called for his resignation, and made it clear he was not going anywhere.
“I am alarmed, however, that the strongest and most ardent defenders of the Constitution in this body are among the most vocal in calling for my resignation,” he said.
“I will not step aside and allow these things to happen in the name of political opportunism. I never took the easy way, never have, never will and never will now.’
Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, and his wife Nadine Menendez arrive at Federal Court for a hearing on bribery charges related to an alleged corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen
Two of the gold bars found during a search by federal agents of Senator Bob Menendez’s home and safe
In September, after the indictment was first revealed, Menendez resigned from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he has resisted calls to resign from his Senate seat.
Last week, Menendez faced more accusations, this time for accepting gifts from an American businessman to benefit the Qatari government.
Federal prosecutors accused him and his wife, Nadine Menendez, of accepting fancy watches and other plush gifts in a bribery plot while he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He was specifically accused of receiving several gold bars and cash from real estate developer Fred Daibes as a reward for helping close a deal with a major Qatari investment fund.
“I have received nothing, absolutely nothing from the government of Qatar or on behalf of the government of Qatar to promote their image or their issues,” Menendez said Monday.
Prosecutors also allege that the embattled senator made public statements praising the Gulf state while the deal was being negotiated.
There was no suggestion in the indictment that Qatar itself had any knowledge of bribes Daibes allegedly gave to Menendez.
In his Senate speech, Menendez denied there were any gold bars and suggested they were “sensational” details leaked by prosecutors to gain press attention for the case.
“There are allegations of cash and gold bars. The problem is that there is no evidence of giving or receiving cash and gold bars. In fact, there has been and will be a trial, a full explanation of what the truth is on these issues – a truth that proves that I am completely innocent of the charges,” he said.
‘And that’s the problem. Almost everyone, including my friends in the press who have reported on it, has not read the indictment. They have only taken as truth the government’s sensational story about what these allegations are. They have not seen the facts of the allegations.”
Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife Nadine Arslanian arrive for a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in December 2022; the couple has been charged with three crimes related to bribery and extortion
Fred Daibes, one of three businessmen named as co-defendants along with Senator Bob Menendez, arrives in federal court in New York on September 27, 2023
The wristwatches presented to Menendez were worth between $10,000 and $24,000, according to the indictment.
“How about one of these,” co-defendant Fred Daibes is quoted in the indictment, along with photos of the watches.
Daibes, 66, a developer, is also accused of bribing Menendez with gold bars and envelopes stuffed with dollar bills.
According to the indictment, Menendez and Daibes attended a Qatari event together in Manhattan in September 2021.
Two days later, Daibes reportedly texted Menendez about a Senate resolution supporting Qatar, just as the Qatari Investment Company was considering the real estate investment with Daibes.
In May 2022, a Qatari official had offered a “relative” of Menendez’s wife Nadine tickets to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Florida, prosecutors said.
The senator said lawmakers often attend state-sponsored events.
‘They show a photo of watches, but no proof that they received such a gift. They talk about tickets to a state-sponsored event, but as we all know, members of the Senate often go to state-sponsored events,” Menendez argued.
Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine arrive for a reception in the East Room of the White House on May 16, 2022
The senator was also accused in September of accepting cash, gold bars and gifts, including a Mercedes-Benz, from three entrepreneurs in exchange for using his “power and influence” to help them.
When the charges were announced, Menendez’s home was raided.
In that June 2022 raid, investigators found $486,461 in cash wrapped in envelopes and in the pockets of jackets with Menendez’s name on them. They also found two one-kilogram gold bars and eleven one-ounce gold bars worth $110,000.
Prosecutors also allege that the businessman bought Menendez and his wife a luxury car.
He and his wife Nadine each face three criminal counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit racketeering under the color of official right.
When the new charges were announced last week, no new charges were added to the indictment.