Sen. Robert Menendez called the federal criminal corruption case against him “outrageous” and “unprecedented” and suggested Tuesday that it was an attempt to remove a key voice blocking some of President Biden’s initiatives.
Mr. Menendez, New Jersey Democrat, warned Senate colleagues that if he can be taken down, they could be future targets for a zealous administration.
“It opens the door for the Justice Department to take the normal engagement of members of Congress with a foreign government and to transform those engagements into a charge of being a foreign agent for that government,” he said in a speech on the Senate floor.
The embattled senator faced a superseding indictment last week accusing him of a bribery and extortion scheme carried on into 2023, an additional year than originally claimed. Prosecutors say he accepted money from New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes in exchange for helping him as he sought millions of dollars from an investment fund connected to Qatar.
Prosecutors allege Mr. Menendez accepted two Formula 1 tickets in 2022, gold bars, and cash from the government of Qatar. In return, he took steps to help the Gulf nation, the indictment says.
He also stands accused of working to shape U.S. policy on behalf of Egypt, making him an unregistered foreign agent.
Mr. Menendez, who has pleaded not guilty, choked up as he vehemently denied the allegations on the Senate floor.
“I have never violated the public trust,” he said. “I have been a patriot for and of my country.”
He said the new indictment is a way for prosecutors to keep fueling the story with sensational allegations, allowing reporters to deliver a drumbeat of negative coverage. He promised a full explanation at trial.
Mr. Menendez said there are reasons why the administration — and some colleagues — are eager to see him go. He pointed to his resistance to current negotiations over border security, which he opposes; the Biden administration’s hopes of striking a new nuclear deal with Iran, of which he’s been critical; and selling F-16s to Turkey, which he is helping block.
“It would be much easier to have me exit the scene,” he said
He said the allegation of acting as an agent of Egypt rang hollow, given his opposition to some of that country’s government goals and policies. And he said it was dangerous even to bring the charges.
“This is an unprecedented accusation. And it has never, ever been levied against a sitting member of Congress,” he said. “And for good reason. It opens the door for the Justice Department to take the normal engagement of members of Congress with a foreign government and to transform those engagements into a charge of being a foreign agent for that government.”
Mr. Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, Mr. Daibes and two New Jersey businessmen were previously charged as part of a bribery scheme. Each pleaded not guilty to the indictments.
The three-term senator has been under tremendous pressure from members of his party to resign since he was first indicted, but he declared that he has no plans to do so.
However, he stepped down from his post as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in September and is facing potentially formidable primary opponents this year including Rep. Andy Kim and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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