Defiant Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty Monday to new federal charges that he acted as an agent of the Egyptian government while chairing the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The New Jersey Democrat, who was asked to stand during a brief hearing in Manhattan federal court, spoke clearly and quietly when asked by Judge Sidney Stein to enter a plea to the new charges.
“Not guilty,” the veteran lawmaker, wearing a navy blue pin-striped suit and pink tie, said during the five-minute proceeding.
Menendez, 69, did not answer questions from reporters as he walked in and out of the Manhattan courthouse.
The veteran Democrat is accused in a rewritten version of his corruption indictment first unsealed in September of conspiring with his wife and an Egyptian-born businessman to work secretly on behalf of Cairo between 2018 and 2022.
All members of Congress are prohibited from acting as agents of foreign governments.
Menendez arrived in federal court in Lower Manhattan where he is expected to deny new charges that he acted as an agent of the Egyptian government.Stephen Yang for the NY Post
Menendez has already pleaded not guilty to charges that he and his wife, Nadine, pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gold bars and other bribes in exchange for receiving numerous favors allegedly given to Egyptian officials and New Jersey businessmen.
FBI agents who raided the Menendezes’ Englewood Cliffs home in June 2022 found wads of cash stuffed inside a windbreaker jacket bearing the senator’s name, more than $150,000 worth of gold bars, and a 2019 Mercedes C-Class the couple allegedly bought with a car. payment received as a bribe.
Menendez has vehemently denied the allegations against him, claiming that he kept large sums of cash from a habit inherited from his Cuban ancestors.
The senator said he has cash in his house because of a habit that stems from his Cuban heritage.Stephen Yang for the NY Post
“Showing new charges upon new charges does not make the allegations true,” he said in a statement issued after the new allegations were announced on Oct 12.
Menendez – who relinquished his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month – has faced growing pressure to resign his senate post.
The senator has yet to provide an explanation as to why the fingerprints of one of the alleged corrupt drivers were allegedly found on envelopes stuffed with money in his home, or why he googled “kilo gold price” immediately after accepting the alleged bribe in gold bars.
The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, has separately pleaded not guilty to charges of helping her husband act as an Egyptian agent. Getty Images Egyptian-born New Jersey businessman Wael Hana is accused of acting as a middleman in the alleged scheme.Getty Images
Among the most disturbing charges Menendez faces is that he is accused of secretly pushing his colleagues to freeze $300 million in military aid earmarked for Egypt while heading his powerful committee.
The new indictment Menendez pleaded not guilty to on Monday included explosive new details about his alleged meetings with Egyptian officials during this time period.
Days after a May 2019 meeting, an Egyptian intelligence agent texted alleged middleman Wael Hana that the senator would “sit comfortably” if he helped ease his colleagues’ concerns about funding Egypt’s military following Egypt’s 2015 airstrikes on the group The seriously injured tourist was an American citizen.
“Consider it done,” Hana replied, according to the indictment.
Nadine Mendendez and Hana both pleaded not guilty to new conspiracy to act as foreign acts charges at separate hearings last week.
The senator was able to push the hearing back to Monday citing official Senate business he had to attend to.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
