Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey pleaded not guilty on Monday to a new charge alleging he conspired to act as a foreign agent for Egypt while serving in Congress.
"The government's latest charge flies in the face of my long record of standing up for human rights and democracy in Egypt and in challenging leaders of that country, including President El-Sisi on these issues," Menendez said in a statement.
"Anyone who knows my record, knows this latest charge is as outrageous as it is absurd," he added. "I will not litigate this case through the press, but have made it abundantly clear that I have done nothing wrong and once all the facts are presented will be found innocent."
A superseding indictment filed earlier this month by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York says New Jersey’s senior senator, his wife and Hana allegedly conspired for the senator to act as a foreign agent from January 2018 through at least June 2022 for the Egyptian government and Egyptian officials, even as he sat as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. [...]
The new indictment alleges that Menendez, his wife and Hana "willfully and knowingly combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together" to have the senator "act as an agent of a foreign principal, to wit, the government of Egypt and Egyptian officials, required to register under FARA," the Foreign Agents Registration Act. (NorthJersey.com)
Menendez emphasized he’s only been loyal to the United States throughout his life.
"The government is engaged in primitive hunting, by which the predator chases its prey until it’s exhausted and then kills it. This tactic won’t work," he said.
Menendez’s co-defendants—his wife, Nadine Menendez, Hana, developer Fred Daibes and businessman Jose Uribe pleaded not guilty on the new charges last week.
Last month the senator, his wife, and three New Jersey businessmen were indicted on corruption charges. All the defendants pleaded not guilty.
Though Menendez has stepped down from his role as Foreign Relations Committee chair, he has resisted calls to resign from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.