Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., indicted for a years-long bribery scheme to benefit the government of Egypt, said Monday he expects to be exonerated.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., insisted at a press conference Monday he will be exonerated on a new federal corruption indictment.
Menedez detailed his decades-long record in Congress and insisted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash the FBI found at his home was withdrawn from his personal savings account.
“The allegations leveled against me are just that, allegations,” Menendez said. “For anyone who has known me throughout my 50 years of public service, they know I have always fought for what is right. My advocacy has always been grounded. And what I learned from growing up as the son of Cuban refugees, especially my mom, my hero, Evangelina Menendez. Everything I accomplished, I worked for despite the nay sayers and everyone who has underestimated me.”
“I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator,” he added, falling short of formally announcing a re-election bid. “The court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system. We cannot set aside the presumption of innocence for political expediency when the harm is irrevocable.”
In what experts tell Fox News is a risk for his own defense in court, Menendez also stood by his political record on Egypt.
“One fact is indisputable, throughout my time in Congress, I have remained steadfast on the side of civil society and human rights defenders in Egypt, and everywhere else in the world,” Menendez said. “If you look at my actions related to Egypt during the period described in this indictment, and throughout my whole career, my record is clear and consistent in holding Egypt accountable for its unjust detention of American citizens and others, its human rights abuses, its deepening relationship with Russia, and efforts that have eroded the independence of the nation’s judiciary among a myriad of concerns.
