On January 2, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was served with a superseding federal indictment that included additional allegations of bribery, as NTD reported.
Prosecutors charge in the indictment that Menendez, who presided over the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from September until his initial indictment, “used his influence and power” to introduce prospective Qatari investor Fred Daibes, a businessman and developer. It is unclear from the indictment how Qatar benefited from the transaction.
Qatar provided Menendez with Formula One Grand Prix tickets for 2022 and additional gifts, as stated in the indictment.
Menendez is facing allegations of conspiracy and bribery.
According to a prior indictment against Menendez, the senator and his spouse, Nadine Menendez, accepted bribes from three individuals who supported him: Mr. Daibes, Wael Hana, and Jose Uribe.
In return, they received preferential treatment concerning the Egyptian government, whose human rights record has faced criticism similar to that of Qatar. It states that the presents included gold bars, mortgage payments, and a luxury automobile.
In addition, Menendez purportedly exerted pressure on the attorney general's office of New Jersey concerning a prosecution involving Uribe, who entered a guilty plea in 2011 on a charge of third-degree larceny by deception and received a three-year probationary term.
Furthermore, Menendez purportedly made a commitment to request that President Donald Trump designate a United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey to intervene in the prosecution of Daibes on accusations pertaining to fraud and other financial offenses.
His 2018 plea of guilty to the charges was subsequently recanted, resulting in the adjournment of his trial.
In 2015, the senator was last indicted; however, the trial was a failure to reach a verdict, and the prosecution chose not to re-examine the case.
Menendez has pushed back against calls to resign and has said he will“continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades” and that people “are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat.”
“Sen. Menendez has made these sacrifices in the past to serve. And in this case, he must do so again,” said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
“I believe stepping down is best for those Sen. Menendez has spent his life serving.”
“Under our legal system, Senator Menendez and the other defendants have not been found guilty and will have the ability to present evidence disputing these charges, and we must respect the process,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, in a statement.
“However, the alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation.”
