Due to ongoing bribery charges, a well-established US senator has temporarily stepped down from his role as chairman of the significant foreign relations committee.
The Justice Department’s prosecutors claim that Robert Menendez and his wife received hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for helping Egypt’s government.
The couple said they did not do what they are being accused of.
The senator who is having a lot of problems has said no to requests from other Democrats in his home state of New Jersey to quit his job as a senator.
Chuck Schumer, who is the leader of the majority in the Senate, said on Friday that Mr Menendez has chosen to give up his position as chairman of the important committee “until the issue has been dealt with”.
The New York Democrat said his coworker works really hard for the people of New Jersey and cares a lot about their well-being.
This is not the first time that Mr. Menendez, who is 69 years old and has been in Congress since 2006, has had to step down from his important position on the foreign relations panel.
He was also forced to resign in 2015 because he was accused of taking money from a Florida eye doctor as bribes in New Jersey. The trial in that case was not successful because the jurors could not agree on a verdict.
Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin, who became the top Democrat on the committee, is expected to once again temporarily take over to fill the open position.
Mr Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian, are accused of taking bribes from three businessmen in New Jersey. The bribes included cash, gold, money to pay off their home mortgage, and a fancy car.
According to the prosecutors, the two people are accused of taking the money in secret to help the Egyptian government and make the three men, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes, richer.
Based on the 39-page legal document made public on Friday, it is said that Mr. Menendez’s position of authority as a senator allowed him to engage in corrupt practices involving using his influence for personal gain.
The two people are accused of three crimes: planning to give bribes, planning to deceive others for personal gain, and planning to unfairly obtain something by using their official positions.
Mrs Menendez’s lawyers said that she did not do anything wrong and she will prove her innocence in court.
Mr Menendez tried to say that the accusations were made to harm his reputation for political reasons.
He said in a long statement that for many years, people have been trying to stop him from speaking out and defeat his political career.
“Ever since this investigation got shared about a year ago, there have been people trying to damage someone’s reputation by spreading rumors and insinuations, even though there is no evidence of any wrongdoing. ”
He said he believes the issue will be fixed when all the facts are shown and the people of New Jersey will understand it.
However, many important Democrats, including four members of Congress from New Jersey, have asked the lawmaker to step down.
In a statement, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that the accusations were very serious and could affect Senator Menendez’s ability to represent the people of our state effectively.
“So, I want him to quit right away,” he wrote.
According to the law in New Jersey, if Mr. Menendez quits his job in the Senate, the governor will choose someone to temporarily take his place until his term is over.
However, if there is any delay between the act of resigning and the temporary appointment, it could cause problems for Democrats who currently have control of the Senate by just one seat.
The White House, which sees Mr. Menendez as an important ally in foreign policy, has not yet given any comments.
Mr Menendez said firmly that he will not be leaving.
He was charged after the justice department looked into him for many years.
During the summer of 2022, government agents searched Mr. Menendez’s house and discovered proof of illegal agreements involving bribes. This evidence included more than $480,000 (£390,000) in cash, which was found hidden in various places like envelopes, clothing, closets, and a safe, according to prosecutors.
The agents found a fancy car, paid for by Mr. Uribe, parked in the garage. They also found $100,000 worth of gold bars in the house. There are pictures of these things in the official document charging Mr.
Because of the charges, Mr Menendez and his wife have been told to give up some of their belongings, including their house in New Jersey.
In a statement to US media, a spokesperson for Mr. Hana said: “We are still looking into the accusations, but from our first examination, they have no value. ”
The BBC has contacted companies owned by Mr. Daibes to get their thoughts or statements. The Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC did not reply to a comment request.
Mr Menendez, along with his wife and three others, will be going to court in Manhattan on September 27th.