Senator Menendez Maintains His Intelligence Credentials

Despite facing a federal indictment, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. said he’s not barred from Senate intelligence briefings.

Menendez made his comments during an interview on New Jersey PBS’s “Chat Box with David Cruz” show.

Menendez was indicted on Sept. 22 on charges he and his wife, Nadine, accepted bribes including cash and gold bars in transactions that included using his position as committee chairman to influence some U.S. policy decisions in favor of Egypt’s autocratic government, according to The Associated Press.

The indictment alleges that included helping Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s government overcome human-rights restrictions limiting a small portion of what is more than $1 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Egypt.

Menendez and his wife have pleaded not guilty.

The embattled Democrat said the indictment has not impacted his ability to do his job in the Senate.

Asked if it was fair to say he’s been sidelined by the indictment, Menendez replied: “Absolutely not.”

 “I still have all my intelligence credentials” he said. “I was not barred from going into an intelligence briefing.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has introduced a resolution with the tacit goal of removing Menendez from his committee assignments and revoking his access to classified information and briefings.

The proposal comes on the heels of Menendez’s participation in a classified briefing regarding Ukraine, organized by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, further intensifying the scrutiny surrounding the senator NBC News reported.

There resolution, which doesn’t mention Menendez by name but is widely seen as targeting him, specifically is aimed at senators indicted for crimes that impact national security. If passed, it would prevent them from serving on congressional committees, receiving classified information, making spending requests for appropriation bills, or using official funds for international travel.