A defiant Sen. Robert Menendez on Monday rejected calls from fellow Democrats for his resignation over federal bribery and public corruption charges.
In his first public remarks since last week’s indictment, the New Jersey Democrat previewed the forthcoming legal battle as the “biggest fight yet” of his career.
“I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator,” Mr. Menendez said during a press conference in his home state.
New York prosecutors say more than a half-million dollars in cash, gold bars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a luxury car were among the gifts that Mr. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian, accepted from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for information that would benefit the businessmen and the Egyptian government.
Mr. Menendez, who faced a similar criminal case in 2015 that ended with a hung jury, went on to accuse critics of rushing to judgment.
“We cannot set aside the presumption of innocence for political expediency when the harm is irrevocable. To those who are rushed to judgment you have done so based on a limited set of facts framed by the prosecution to be as salacious as possible,” he said.
“Remember, prosecutors get it wrong sometimes. Sadly, I know that. Instead of waiting for all the facts to be presented, others have rushed to judgment because they see a political opportunity for themselves or those around them.”
Mr. Menendez is up for reelection next year but he did not say whether he’ll seek a fourth term. He was forced under chamber rules to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but has refused growing calls to resign.
Mr. Menendez did not address the gold bars found in his possession or a Mercedes convertible that prosecutors say his wife received. He said that alleged cash bribes totaling more than $500,000 were from decades of withdrawing from his own savings account as a precaution derived from being a Cuban American.
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies, and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba,” Mr. Menendez said. “Now 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.”
Prosecutors alleged there was DNA evidence from one of the New Jersey businessmen found on the money.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, the first Senate Democrat to call for Mr. Menendez’s resignation, appeared to question Mr. Menendez’s explanation.
“We have an extra flashlight for our home emergencies,” Mr. Fetterman posted on X.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown on Monday became the second Senate Democrat to say Mr. Menendez should resign.
“Senator Menendez has broken the public trust,” Mr. Brown said in a statement.
Several House Democrats have called for Mr. Menendez’s resignation, including from New Jersey, and Rep. Andy Kim said he will launch a primary challenge against him. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and Obama-era Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. have also said he should resign.
“The situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe that it is in the best interest for Sen. Menendez to resign in this moment,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “It shouldn’t matter whether it’s a Republican or a Democrat. The details in this indictment are extremely serious.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the charges a “serious matter” but did not say Mr. Menendez should resign.
“I think, and we believe, the senator stepping down from his chairmanship was the right thing to do, obviously,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said. “As it relates to anything else, any decision that he has to make, that’s certainly going to be up to him and the Senate leadership to decide. But of course, we see this as a serious matter.”
Mr. Menendez is set to make his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday during an arraignment hearing.
Mr. Menendez said in a written statement last week that anti-Hispanic sentiment was fueling calls for his resignation, an assertion he notably declined to make in his comments on Monday. He made remarks in both English and Spanish with local community supporters lined up behind him.
“Some of the people calling for my resignation for political reasons say I have lost the trust of the people of New Jersey. That couldn’t be more wrong,” Mr. Menendez said.
He went on to defend his policy stances and political work regarding Egypt, and emphasized that he has been critical of the nation and its leaders in the past.
Prosecutors say Mr. Menendez engaged in a “corrupt” relationship from 2018 to 2022 with Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, one of his fundraisers. The indictment said the third-term senator, who’s held his seat since 2006, used his power and influence to benefit the trio and Egypt in exchange for cash and gifts.
According to the indictment, investigators found wads of cash stuffed into envelopes and official Senate clothing bearing Mr. Menendez’s name, DNA and fingerprints, gold bars and a web search for “how much is one kilo of gold worth.”
Mr. Menendez was indicted in 2015 on charges related to donor gifts from Salomon Melgen in a case that concluded in a hung jury. Prosecutors declined to retry the case, and Mr. Menendez went on to be reelected in 2018.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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