By Brett Rowland (The Center Square)
Prosecutors have accused New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife of conspiring to have the senator act as a foreign agent of Egypt.
In a superseding indictment filed Thursday against Menendez, who was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time of the allegations, prosecutors said the senator took bribes from Egyptian officials and intelligence agents who wanted to use his power in the Senate.
A superseding indictment means federal prosecutors have rewritten their indictment.
Related: Menendez Faces More Democratic Calls To Step Down
In September, prosecutors charged Menendez and his wife with federal bribery offenses in connection with a “corrupt relationship” with three New Jersey businessmen.
That three-count indictment says Menendez and his wife, Nadine, received “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes beginning in 2018 in exchange for using the senator’s influence to enrich the businessmen, one of whom has ties to the Egyptian government. The bribes were in the form of a luxury car, gold bars and cash.
Both Menendez and his wife have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
There have been calls for Menendez to step down, including from Democrats; he has so far refused. Republicans in his home state have sought to have his pension stripped away.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
