2023-09-23 07:05:53
US Senator Bob Menendez, accused of corruption, refuses to resign. The 69-year-old Democrat said yesterday evening (local time) that he had no intention of resigning from his position as New Jersey state senator.
“It’s not lost on me how quickly some people condemn a Latino and want to drive him out of office.” But he won’t bow to that. The influential politician with Cuban roots rejects allegations that he and his wife accepted bribes. However, Menendez is leaving his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on hold, as the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, announced. This applies until the case is resolved.
In recent years, Menendez has become a close ally of President Joe Biden, who is not least lobbying Congress for support for further aid to Ukraine. The lawsuit against Menendez could complicate Democrats’ efforts to defend their slim majority in the U.S. Senate in the coming elections.
Bribery with gold bars?
Prosecutors in Manhattan accuse Menendez of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars. In return, the senator is said to have used his influence to protect and enrich three New Jersey businessmen and also to benefit the Egyptian government. The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, is said to have been put on the payroll of a manager’s business and also accepted money to buy a car.
The couple, who have been married since 2020, and the three businessmen are expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday. If convicted, Bob and Nadine Menendez theoretically face a prison sentence of 45 years each. It is the third time that the US Attorney’s Office has opened a federal investigation against Menendez. Previous cases also involved bribery.
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