Sen. Bob Menendez to Face New Charges Alleging Bribery and Conspiracy with Egyptian Government

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday to face new charges alleging he accepted bribes from the Egyptian government and conspired to act as a foreign agent while serving as a member of Congress.

Prosecutors allege that Menendez “provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” according to a superseding indictment. The senator is charged with one count of conspiracy for a public official to act as an agent of a foreign principal, the Egyptian government and its officials.

Menendez’s co-defendants, including his wife, Nadine Menendez, and businessman Wael Hana, were also included in the new charges. Prosecutors said the senator “further promised to take and took a series of acts on behalf of Egypt, including on behalf of Egyptian military and intelligence officials, and conspired to do so with” Hana and his wife.

The senator has been a member of Congress since 2006 and was re-elected in 2018. He has denied any wrongdoing and has previously said he has “always acted in accordance with the law.”

The charges come as part of a long-running investigation into Menendez’s relationship with Hana, a New Jersey businessman from Egypt. The investigation has been ongoing since 2013, when Menendez was accused of accepting bribes from Hana in exchange for political favors. The senator has denied any wrongdoing in the case.