By Jesus Garcia
27 Sep 2023, 2:26 PM EDT
Senator Bob Menéndez (New Jersey) agreed to pay bail of $100,000 dollars to face the judicial process against him for bribery and extortion, for which he pleaded “not guilty.”
As a special condition, according to the court document, Menéndez had to surrender his passport, in addition to avoiding any contact with other defendants in the case, except his wife Nadine.
The Democrat faces accusations along with businessmen Wael Hana, José Uribe and Fred Daibes, who would have received the benefits with the influence of Senator Menéndez, as president of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Menéndez is also prohibited from maintaining contact with potential witnesses, including his team personnel, including advisors, who have knowledge of the judicial process, the investigation of which in the Southern District Court began almost a year ago.
The decision was signed by Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang, but the next hearing on October 2 will be led by Judge Sidney Stein.
The three criminal offenses the Menendezes face are: 1) conspiracy to commit bribery; 2) attempt and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 3) interference with commerce through extortion.
The senator acknowledged in a press conference last Monday that they are “serious crimes,” but said that his political opponents have rushed to judge him and that he will be exonerated.
“I understand that these charges are serious, but the allegations brought against me are just that, allegations,” he said. “I recognize the seriousness of this moment and that this will be my biggest battle to this day, but as I have said throughout this entire process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, I will not only be exonerated, but I will continue to be the U.S. Senator from New Jersey.”
The prosecutor of the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, reported that Senator Menéndez and his wife Nadine received thousands of dollars to benefit the aforementioned businessmen and the government of Egypt.
In one of the events, Menéndez would have requested “highly confidential” information from the State Department, which he shared with his wife and she with one of his accomplices, who finally sent it to an Egyptian official.
It is unclear whether Menendez could face other charges related to national security; a former CIA agent told The Intercept that Egypt’s government appeared to view the senator as “a source.”
“That Menéndez shares information about embassy staff is extremely worrying on several levels: it helps the Egyptian security services monitor the embassy and, more importantly, it may suggest that they saw Menéndez as a source,” he considered. John Sipher, former CIA agent.
Keep reading:
· Senator Bob Menéndez and his wife tried to hide traces of alleged bribes, indictment indicates
· Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has no interest in running to fill Bob Menendez’s seat as senator
· They find more than $480,000 dollars and gold bars in the home of Senator Bob Menéndez and his wife