(RepublicanNews.org) – A new 18-count indictment of disgraced Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his wife was just unsealed, charging the couple with obstruction of justice on top of the corruption charges they are already facing.
On Tuesday, March 5th, the court unsealed the indictment in Manhattan from federal prosecutors. In it, they claim that former attorneys working for Menendez told them last year that the senator was unaware of car and mortgage payments made for his wife by two businessmen until 2022, and that Menendez said he thought these payments were loans when he found out. The truth, according to the indictment, was that the senator learned about the payments “prior to 2022” and that they were “bribe payments” rather than loans.
Menendez replaced his attorneys from the law firm Winston & Strawn last November and is now represented by Paul Hastings.
The earlier charges against the senator and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accused the couple of taking hundreds of thousands in bribes from New Jersey businessmen Fred Daibes, Jose Uribe, and Wael Hana, and from the Egyptian government. Menendez is also being accused of acting as a foreign agent. The bribes included envelopes full of cash tucked into jacket pockets, gold bars discovered at their residence, and a luxury convertible. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Uribe, of Clifton, New Jersey, is the businessman who allegedly made the car payment for Nadine. On Friday, March 1st, he pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud, bribery, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice. He admitted that the car was given to Menendez’s wife to gain influence over the senator. As part of the plea deal, Uribe agreed to testify in the case against Menendez.
Hana is the businessman accused of arranging meetings for the senator with officials of the Egyptian government, who allegedly pressed Menendez to approve of military aid for the Middle Eastern nation. He also placed Nadine on his company’s payroll, according to prosecutors. Hana pleads not guilty.
Many lawmakers have called on Menendez to resign from Congress, including some of his fellow Democrats. The senator has, so far, refused to step down.
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