Sen. Bob Menendez declared he will be exonerated of the federal bribery charges he was indicted for last week and does not plan on resigning, but he did not address if he will run for reelection next year at a press conference on his home turf in Hudson County, New Jersey, on Monday morning.

What You Need To Know

  • Sen. Bob Menendez declared he will be exonerated of the federal bribery charges he was indicted for last week and does not plan on resigning, but he did not address if he will run for reelection next year at a Monday morning press conference

  • The federal indictment — the second Menedez has faced during his senatorial career — alleges Menendez spent years accepting cash, gold bars and a luxury car in exchange for favors for the Egyptian government and other associates

  • Nearly half a million dollars in cash — “much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe,” according to the indictment — and over $100,000 in gold bars were found by federal law enforcement during a June 2022 search of the Menendez home, prosecutors said

  • Menendez rebuked the slew of New Jersey Democrats who have called on him to resign, including Gov. Phil Murphy and a majority of his party’s congressional delegation

“On Friday, the Southern District of New York brought charges against me," Menendez said. "I understand how deeply concerning this can be. However, the allegations leveled against me are just that: allegations. Everything I've accomplished, I've worked for despite the naysayers and everyone who has underestimated me. I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet.

“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,” he added.

The New Jersey Democrat was accused by federal prosecutors in New York last week of accepting bribes of cash, gold and other gifts in exchange for wielding his influence atop the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee to direct millions to the authoritarian government of Egypt and attempt to intervene in the criminal prosecution of a friend. Menendez stepped down from his chairmanship in response to the charges.

On Monday, Menendez addressed the press for about 20 minutes at Hudson County Community College in Union City, delivering remarks in both English and Spanish without taking any questions. As he left the podium to applause from staffers and allies, he ignored a shouted question from a reporter about whether he plans to run for reelection in 2024. The 69-year-old has represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2006.

The federal indictment — the second Menedez has faced during his senatorial career — alleges Menendez spent years accepting cash, gold bars and a luxury car in exchange for favors for the Egyptian government and other associates. The schemes allegedly began shortly after federal prosecutors dropped charges against the senator in an unrelated bribery case in 2018.

Menendez’s wife, Nadine, and three New Jersey businessmen were also charged. One of the accused, Egyptian-American businessman Wael Hana, funneled bribes to Menendez through his wife, prosecutors allege.

“Among other actions, Menendez provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” the indictment reads. “Menendez also improperly advised and pressured an official at the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of protecting a business monopoly granted to Hana by Egypt and used in part to fund the bribes being paid to Menendez through Nadine Menendez.”

Nearly half a million dollars in cash — “much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe,” according to the indictment — and over $100,000 in gold bars were found by federal law enforcement during a June 2022 search of the Menendez home, prosecutors said. In October 2021, Menendez searched the internet for “how much is one kilo of gold worth.”

Some of the envelopes of cash featured the fingerprints or DNA of one of the indicted businessmen or his employees, and another $70,000 was found in a safe deposit box controlled by the senator’s wife, prosecutors said.

“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,” said Menendez, whose parents immigrated from Cuba to the U.S. in 1953. “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.”

Menendez rebuked the slew of New Jersey Democrats who have called on him to resign, including Gov. Phil Murphy and a majority of his party’s congressional delegation. Rep. Andy Kim, a South Jersey Democrat, announced his candidacy for Menendez’s Senate seat after the indictment became public.

“Some of the people calling for my resignation for political reasons say I have lost the trust of the people of New Jersey," Menendez said. "That couldn't be more wrong. Today I'm surrounded by everyday people and constituents who know me.”

While Democrats in the House, New Jersey’s Democratic governor and top Democratic officials in the state’s party apparatus have called for Menendez’s resignation, only two of his Democratic Senate colleagues has joined those calls: Sen. John Fetterman, of neighboring Pennsylvania, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, of Ohio.

"Senator Menendez has broken the public trust and should resign from the U.S. Senate," Brown said on Monday in a one-line statement.

Fetterman's spokesperson said on Monday the Pennsylvania senator's campaign is working on returning a $5,000 donation from Menendez in "envelopes stuffed with $100 bills," later adding it "would have been too expensive to ship gold bars to New Jersey."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Menendez relinquishing his committee chairmanship was satisfactory for now, describing the three-term senator as “a dedicated public servant” in a statement Friday. New Jersey’s other senator, Cory Booker, has yet to comment publicly on the charges, and his office did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

“The court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system,” Menendez said Monday. “We cannot set aside the presumption of innocence for political expediency when the harm is irrevocable. To those who have rushed to judgment, you have done so based on a limited set of facts framed by the prosecution to be as salacious as possible.”