OAN’s James Meyers
10:14 AM – Monday, October 23, 2023
Senator Bob Menendez is officially set to be arraigned on bribery charges.
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On Monday, Menendez (D-N.J.) will be arraigned in a Manhattan court on charges that alleged he had accepted bribes from the Egyptian government and conspired to act as a foreign agent while serving in Congress.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was also included in the new charges. However, she pleaded not guilty last week in Manhattan.
Prosecutors stated that Menendez “further promised to take [and] took a series of acts on behalf of Egypt, including on behalf of Egyptian military and intelligence officials, and conspired to do so with” Wael Hana, a New Jersey businessman from Egypt, and his wife.
However, the senator was allowed to delay his arraignment so that he could still work in his Senate position and fulfill his duties. Menendez emphasized that throughout his entire life, he has been loyal to the United States and “will prove his innocence.”
Federal prosecutors also accused the Democrat, his wife, and Hana that they “worked to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to Menendez for the purpose of establishing and solidifying a corrupt agreement.”
Additionally, the FBI is now investigating whether Egypt’s intelligence agency could have been involved in the alleged bribery scheme described in the indictment last month.
Menendez has rejected calls from almost 30 fellow Democrats to resign from his position.
If convicted on the charges, it carries up to a potential penalty of 5 years in prison.
This is the second federal indictment Menendez has faced since becoming a Senator in 2006. Previously, in 2015, he was charged with illegally accepting favors from a Florida eye doctor, which he also denied. That particular case ended in a mistrial.
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