New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged last Friday with corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years, reports CNN.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, are accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for the senator’s influence, according to the newly unsealed federal indictment.
Incidentally, Senator Menendez, joined by Senator Todd Young, led eight of their Senate colleagues in calling on the then Trump administration to impose sanctions on senior commanders of Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Prosecutors allege the bribes included gold, cash, home mortgage payments, compensation for a “low-or-no-show job” and a luxury vehicle.
This is the second set of corruption charges levied against Menendez by the Justice Department in a decade.
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He previously fought off conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud related to alleged personal favors.
Menendez is up for reelection next year. He has been in the Senate since 2006, according to the CNN report.
Senate Democratic Caucus rules will force Menendez to step aside as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but he can still serve on the panel, it said.
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Menendez slammed the indictment in a statement: “For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave. Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.”
Menendez also previously set up a legal defense fund. Beginning in April, his wife sold gold bars worth as much as $400,000, according to the senator’s most recent financial disclosure form.
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