Sen. Bob Menendez charged with conspiracy to act as foreign agent

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife are facing more charges as an indictment accuses the congressman of conspiring to act as a foreign agent. The charges, filed on Thursday, Oct. 12, supersede federal corruption charges filed on Sept. 22.

In the September indictment, Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were accused of participating in a “years-long” bribery scheme with three New Jersey businessmen. Prosecutors say Menendez and his wife amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold as a result.

The superseding indictment accuses Menendez of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires anyone who acts as “an agent of foreign principal” to register with the government. Menendez, being a member of Congress, is prohibited from being an agent of a foreign government.

The indictment alleges that Menendez and his wife were involved in the conspiracy over a four-year period from January 2018 to June 2022. The indictment claims that during that time, Menendez “promised to take and took a series of acts on behalf of Egypt, including on behalf of Egyptian military and intelligence officials.”

As calls for his resignation again surface, Menendez has said he will not resign and issued a statement following the latest charges as he continues to maintain his innocence.

“I have been, throughout my life, loyal to only one country — the United States of America, the land my family chose to live in democracy and freedom,” Menendez said. ”Piling new charge upon new charge does not make the allegations true. … I again ask people who know me and my record to give me the chance to present my defense and show my innocence.”

Still, more than 30 Democrats have called for his resignation since the September indictment, and now Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has called on senators to expel Menendez from the Senate.

“We cannot have an alleged foreign agent in the United States Senate,” Fetterman said.

According to the law cited in the indictment, Menendez could face up to two years in prison if found guilty for not registering as a foreign agent. Menendez and his wife pleaded not guilty to corruption charges in September.