Sen. Menendez says federal corruption investigation into him ‘will result in nothing.’

This was the first time that Sen. Bob Menendez spoke at length about the situation. He told reporters that he won’t step down.

Jan 20, 2023, 1:25 AM

Updated 706 days ago

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Sen. Bob Menendez says that a federal corruption investigation targeting him will go nowhere. Reports indicate that prosecutors in New York have already issued dozens of subpoenas.
“I know there’s a review going on, as far as I’m concerned, it will result in nothing,” the Democratic senator said on Thursday.
This was the first time that Menendez spoke at length about the situation. He told reporters that he won’t step down.
“I always fight to the end,” he said.
Federal prosecutors may be trying to connect Menendez, who is the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, with New Jersey entrepreneurs and business with Egypt.
Along the Hudson River in Edgewater is a building that hosts the firm IS EG Halal. It boasts on its website that it’s the only company authorized to certify exports to the country. The men who own the building, and perhaps have a stake in the company, are longtime Menendez donors.
When asked if he ever spoke to the Egyptian government about halal exports, Menendez responded, “I’m not going to get into the specifics of it, but I would just urge you to look at my history with Egypt, of denying them aid, of stopping weapons sales, and a whole host of things. I don’t think that I’d be in a position to do that.”
This is at least the third federal investigation of Menendez in two decades. The last investigation led to a 2015 indictment. A 2017 trial ended with a hung jury.
“Those of you who were digging my political grave to jump into my seat, I know who you are, and I won’t forget you,” Menendez said at the time.
Federal prosecutors decided not to retry the case against Menendez after the 2017 hung jury. The senator was re-elected with 54% of the vote one year later.