Defiant, indicted Bob Menendez: 'I’ll be exonerated and still the senior senator of New Jersey'

Indicted New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez denied allegations of bribery Monday, while never explicitly addressing his 2024 reelection plans.

“The allegations are just that, allegations,” he said at a press conference without taking questions. “When all the facts are presented, I’ll be exonerated and still the senior senator of New Jersey.”

Menedez, 69, was indicted Friday on conspiracy and bribery charges. Top New Jersey Democrats have already called for his resignation.

Menendez read from prepared remarks at the Hudson County Community College in Union City, New Jersey — the community where he rose through the political ranks from the Union City school board to mayor before moving on to Congress.

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Menendez indictment: What to know

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It’s the second time Menendez has faced a bribery indictment. He was charged in 2015 with trading political favors for donations and other perks, but the trial ended in a hung jury.

• Prosecutors say Menendez and his wife took gold bars, a luxury vehicle, $480,000 in cash and financial favors. Menendez denies the allegations.
• The indictment says Egypt gave one of the businessmen a lucrative Halal meat contract that helped fund the bribes.
• Menendez is also accused of abusing his influence on the Senate Foreign Relations commission to help Egypt, even ghost-writing a letter from Egypt officials to get U.S. aid.
• Here's a breakdown of the key figures discussed in the indictment.
• Late Friday, top New Jersey Democrats including Gov. Phil Murphy started calling for his resignation.
• Menendez is up for reelection in 2024. He's vowed to fight the charges.

Menendez mounted a lengthy defense of his character without directly addressing the allegations contained in the indictment. He described himself as a stalwart fighter for New Jerseyans and American interests. He reminded reporters he’s a Cuban refugee, and repeated his statement in both English and Spanish.

He said he held Egypt accountable for human rights abuses by withholding military aid and pressuring officials directly. That’s in contrast to an indictment that accuses Menendez, chair of the Senator’s Foreign Relations Committee, of ghost-writing a letter for Egyptian officials seeking aid and of offering to lift restrictions on arms sales in exchange for bribes.

Menendez did briefly address the hundreds of thousands of dollars federal prosecutors say they found stashed in his Englewood Cliffs home, saying that he withdrew the money from his personal savings account. He said he did so for emergencies, and because his family had faced confiscations in Cuba.

“This may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account, based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years,” he said.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege he provided sensitive information to the Egyptian government, attempted to influence aid and arms sales to Egypt and tried to interfere in criminal investigations in exchange for massive bribes from New Jersey businessmen — gold bars, $480,000 cash found in envelopes and his wife’s safe deposit box, a luxury car and other payments.

This latest indictment comes almost six years after Menendez was tried on corruption charges related to a Florida eye surgeon, which ended in a mistrial. He’d been accused at the time of taking gifts from the eye surgeon in exchange for using his political influence to the doctor’s benefit.

Top New Jersey Democrats, including Gov. Phil Murphy have called for Menendez to step down. It was a marked about-face from the overwhelming support he received from prominent party figures during his first indictment — with many contributing to his legal defense fund.

After news of the current investigation broke last year, many also offered statements of praise for Menendez.

Menendez, his wife and the three New Jersey businessmen — all charged in the indictment — are expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan Wednesday.

This story has been updated to reflect more of Sen. Robert Menendez's Monday statements.