Bob Menendez asserts his innocence after federal indictment

Sen. Bob Menendez maintained that he will not be found guilty, during his first public appearance since being charged with bribery in a federal indictment unsealed in New York on Friday.

During a 20-minute speech, which Menendez delivered in English and in Spanish, New Jersey's senior senator acknowledged that the allegations against him are “deeply concerning.” Still, Menendez noted that the "allegations leveled against me are just that," saying this "will be the biggest fight yet" but that he “firmly believes that when all the facts are presented” he will be exonerated.

Menendez lashed out at prosecutors and those who have already called for him to step down, asserting that he is innocent until proven guilty, and said he can "ask nothing more and deserve nothing less” than that.

"Instead of waiting for all the facts to be presented, others rushed to judge me because they see a political opportunity for themselves," Menendez said. "Remember, prosecutors get it wrong sometimes. Sadly, I know that."

He added that federal prosecutors have presented his indictment in a way that was “as salacious as possible.”

Menendez defended his record on Egypt and said he has been a “steadfast” defender of human rights there and elsewhere throughout the world.

And as for the pockets full of cash? Menendez said that for the last 30 years he has withdrawn cash from personal accounts and kept it on hand in his home.

"It's old-fashioned, but the money was drawn from my personal savings accounts," Menendez said. "I look forward to addressing the other issues in trial."

With a growing chorus of Democratic leaders calling for his resignation, Menendez surrounded himself with everyday people for whom he said he has fought during his time in office. He took the time to highlight his legislative efforts when the state was rocked by Superstorm Sandy and the pandemic and in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Menendez said he is headed back to Washington this week and will "remain focused on continuing to do the important work I do every day on behalf of the 9 million people who call New Jersey home, including doing everything we can this week to avoid a government shutdown."

New Jersey's senior senator was indicted for the second time in a decade on corruption charges for allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for helping them enrich themselves and trying to get them out of trouble, said an indictment unsealed in New York.

Live updates: What Bob Menendez said in his speech to the public after indictment

What does the Menendez indictment say?

Bribes allegedly included cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low- or no-show job and a Mercedes-Benz — much of which is detailed in photographs in the 39-page indictment.

Menendez's wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, was also indicted in the alleged scheme. The three businessmen — Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes — have been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

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The indictment alleges that between 2018 and 2022, Menendez, who has been the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his wife “engaged in a corrupt relationship with Hana, Uribe and Daibes” to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for Menendez using his “power and influence to protect, to enrich those businessmen and to benefit the government of Egypt.”

NJ Democrats call for Menendez to resign from Senate

Leading New Jersey Democrats, including Gov. Phil Murphy, Attorney General Matt Platkin and several members of the congressional delegation, called on Menendez to resign on Friday.

“These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system, Murphy said. "Under our legal system, Senator Menendez and the other defendants have not been found guilty and will have the ability to present evidence disputing these charges, and we must respect the process.

“However, the alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state,” Murphy said.

On Friday, Menendez denied the allegations and issued a statement in response to the calls for his resignation that he intends to "continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades."

"This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along," Menendez said in the statement. "It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”

Menendez did step down Friday from his post as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Staff Writer Kristie Cattafi contributed to this story.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sen. Bob Menendez says he is innocent until proven guilty