Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to illegal foreign agent charge

Embattled New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez pleaded not guilty Monday at an arraignment hearing at the federal courthouse in Manhattan on a new charge of conspiring to act as a foreign agent to the government of Egypt while serving in Congress.

The additional charge came in the form of a new indictment against Mr. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, after the couple pleaded not guilty to public corruption and bribery charges.

Manhattan prosecutors say the pair “provided sensitive U.S. government information and took other steps that secretly aided the government of Egypt.” They also said Mr. Menendez, Ms. Arslanian Menendez and co-defendant Wael Hana “worked to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to Menendez for the purpose of establishing and solidifying a corrupt agreement.”

Mr. Menendez’s arraignment lasted only a few minutes, and he declined to answer shouted questions from reporters at the courthouse.

In a statement, he said the government is “engaged in primitive hunting, by which the predator chases its prey until it’s exhausted and then kills it.”

“This tactic won’t work,” Mr. Menendez said.

He also said he’s been “loyal to only one country — the United States of America,” and that the foreign agent charge “flies in the face of my long record of standing up for human rights and democracy in Egypt and in challenging leaders of that country.”

Ms. Arslanian Menendez and Mr. Hana also were indicted on the foreign agent charge but had already pleaded not guilty.

The three previously pleaded not guilty to the original bribery and corruption charges centered on Mr. Menendez and Ms. Arslanian Menendez allegedly receiving lavish gifts from Mr. Hana and two additional New Jersey businessmen in exchange for favors and sensitive knowledge to benefit the Egyptian government. Those gifts included gold bars, about $500,000 in cash and a convertible Mercedes.

Mr. Menendez has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to serve the remainder of his term that ends in January 2025, despite two-thirds of Senate Democrats calling for his resignation. He is up for reelection next year but has declined to say whether he will seek another term.

In past statements made to the media through their attorneys, Ms. Arslanian Menendez and Mr. Hana have also denied any wrongdoing.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is the lone Democrat to say Mr. Menendez should be expelled from the Senate.

Mr. Menendez was forced to relinquish his position as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee but remains on the panel and otherwise continues to conduct normal Senate business. He recused himself from a classified all-senators briefing last week on the Israel-Hamas war due to the charges against him that involve Egypt, which neighbors Israel.

A separate criminal federal corruption case against Mr. Menendez ended in a mistrial in 2017 due to a hung jury. Prosecutors alleged he accepted bribes from a wealthy Florida ophthalmologist, which the senator denied.

• This story is based in part on wire service reports.