Democratic Senator Bob Menendez Denies Bribery Allegations, Claims $480,000 Cash Found at Home was from Personal Savings

September 25, 2023 TruthUSA

A US senator facing corruption charges says nearly half a million dollars in cash which authorities discovered in his home was from his personal savings – and not from bribes.

Democrat Bob Menendez also said the $480,000 (£393,000) – allegedly found stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe at his home – was being kept on hand for emergencies.

“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,” said the veteran New Jersey senator, who has been charged with bribery.

Rejecting calls for him to resign – including from Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer – he added in a news conference: “I recognise this will be the biggest fight yet.

“But as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be the New Jersey’s senior senator.”

Menendez, 69, made the speech at Hudson County Community College’s campus in Union City – where he grew up.

It came after he announced his decision to temporarily step down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following the charges.

He and his wife, Nadine Menendez, are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold and a luxury car from a trio of New Jersey businessmen in return for a variety of corrupt acts, according to an indictment, which was unsealed on Friday.

The indictment alleged Menendez used his clout to interfere in three criminal cases, pressured US agriculture regulators to protect an associate’s business interests, and used his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee to influence US policy on Egypt.

Prosecutors claim that he met Egyptian military and intelligence officials, passed along non-public information about employees at the US Embassy in Cairo and was the ghostwriter of a letter on behalf of Egypt asking his Senate colleagues to release a hold on $300m (£246m) worth of aid.

Addressing his relationship with Egypt, he suggested he had been tough on the country over its detention of Americans and other “human rights abuses”.