Senator Bob Menendez Pleads Not Guilty In Egypt Bribery Case

Sen. Robert “Bob” Menendez (D-NJ) pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges in an Egypt-related bribery case brought by federal prosecutors.

Menendez, 69, appeared before a judge in Manhattan federal court where a lawyer entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf, according to the Associated Press.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona Wang allowed Menendez to be released on a $100,000 bond but ordered the senator to surrender his passport and placed restrictions on contacts with others.

The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, also entered a not-guilty plea, as have three other co-defendants in the case.

Federal prosecutors announced on Friday an indictment in which Menendez was accused of using his official position to benefit a trio of New Jersey businessmen and the government of Egypt in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes that included gold bars, cash, and a luxury convertible.

Menendez was “charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison,” per the Justice Department.

Several Democrats in the House, Senate, and beyond have called on Menendez to resign from Congress. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the No. 2 Democrat in the upper chamber, joined the chorus on Wednesday.

“Leaders in New Jersey, including the Governor and my Senate colleague Cory Booker, have made it clear that Sen. Menendez can no longer serve. He should step down,” Durbin said in a post to X.

In addition to the criminal case, NBC News reported on Tuesday that the FBI is conducting a counterintelligence investigation into the alleged bribery scheme.

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Menendez has remained defiant, insisting that he will not resign, though he did step down as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he was doing “temporarily” until the matter gets resolved.

Years ago, Menendez faced a corruption case that ended in a mistrial. In a statement last week, he said, “I have been falsely accused before because I refused to back down to the powers that be and the people of New Jersey were able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognized I was innocent.”

The senator, who claimed “those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first-generation Latino American from humble beginnings could rise to be a U.S. senator and serve with honor and distinction,” added that he remains “focused on continuing his important work” and “will not be distracted by baseless allegations.”

On Monday, Menendez declared, “I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have stated throughout this whole process, 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.”