Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) reportedly pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he accepted lavish bribes to enrich three New Jersey businessmen and Egypt’s government on Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, Menendez and his wife made their way past the press hordes while appearing to avoid answering any inquiries.
The Southern District of New York unveiled the three-count indictment on Friday.
It claims that Menendez used his “power and influence” as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to enrich Wael “Will” Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibe while benefiting Egypt.
Menendez and his wife received a luxury car, cash, gold bars, and other gifts in return.
Tuesday, Hana entered a not guilty plea to the two charges he is facing.
According to court documents, he was granted bail after putting a $300,000 deposit with the court and consenting to give up his passport.
On Wednesday, Uribe and Daibe also entered not-guilty pleas to two counts.
Menendez and his wife are accused of three offenses, including conspiring to conduct extortion while acting in an official capacity, which is the allegation for public officials who accept bribes in exchange for performing their duties.
Nearly 20 senators, many of them Democrats, have called for Menendez to resign from his position as senator since the charges were made public.
For accepting gifts and flights from a contributor, Menendez was charged with federal corruption in 2015.
However, those charges were dropped in 2018 when the jury was unable to reach a conviction.
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