New charges against the former chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee

, Senator Bob Menendez, the former chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his wife were charged with obstruction of justice in a new case with 18 charges.

American prosecutors accused Senator Menendez and his wife of receiving bribes from three rich businessmen from New Jersey. did.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said: Menendez, 69, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and received gold pieces from three rich businessmen in exchange for using his power and influence as a senior senator of New Jersey in favor of the Egyptian government and interfering in legal cases related to these businessmen.

This charge was raised after gold pieces from Menendez’s personal home and envelopes containing cash inside the senator’s jackets were found in It was discovered inside his wardrobe. Prosecutors claimed they found more than $480,000 in cash from his home.

According to this report, the prosecutors demanded in a petition to confiscate some of Menendez’s properties, including his personal home. In New Jersey, his luxury car and about 566 thousand dollars in cash, gold pieces and his bank accounts were seized.

Meanwhile, 56-year-old Nadine Menendez, the wife of Senator Menendez, denied committing any crime and stated that she will firmly defend the charges against her.

New York federal judge announced The trial of Senator Bob Menendez’s charges of corruption and receiving bribes will begin on May 6 this year .

In the new charges against Sen. Menendez and his wife, federal prosecutors said Menendez’s previous attorneys told them Menendez did not know about the expenses paid by two businessmen to rent or buy a car for his wife until 2022, and when he found out about this, he assumed that these expenses were in the form of a loan.

Prosecutors stated that in fact, Menendez was aware of this issue before 2022 and knew that these expenses were not loans and in the form of bribes to his wife. has been given.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Senator Menendez denied the charge of obstruction of justice and said: the prosecutors are trying to surrender him The government had known for a long time that I was aware of my wife’s repayment of loans – not bribes. I am innocent and I will prove it.

Meanwhile, Jose Oraib, one of the businessmen accused in Menendez’s wife’s car case, last week Pleaded guilty to fraud and bribery charges.

however he has never been convicted yet “background-color:white”>.

After these accusations were made, Phil Murphy, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, as well as some other Democratic officials of the state, and some members of the US House of Representatives asked Menendez to resign from the Senate.

However, this powerful and influential American senator stated that he will not do this and will remain in the Senate.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, said in a statement after the accusation of Senator Menendez, who is the chairman of the foreign relations committee of the US Senate, was temporarily removed from the chairmanship of this committee until the hearing of the case, and he has the right to enjoy a fair trial process.

while he announced that he plans to participate in the Senate elections in 2024.

These accusations against Senator Menendez can have a significant impact on the Republicans’ efforts to maintain the majority in the Senate in the 2024 elections. Also, these charges will cost Joe Biden. Menendez, along with Biden, is trying to get as much help from the Congress as possible to Ukraine and seeking American leadership on various global issues, from climate change to the China issue.

In addition, Menandez is an important friend for Biden in all foreign policy priorities. It is his government. He led the process of confirming the qualifications of the representatives nominated by Biden for the Pentagon in the Senate, and since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he has been helping the US president to get more humanitarian, economic and military aid for Kiev.

Thank you The title of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee deals with important matters, including legislation, considering various issues for review in the committee, reviewing and evaluating the representatives nominated by the president for some of the national security positions, and evaluating most of the international arms sales contracts. .

According to the rules of the Senate, any member of this parliament who is accused of crimes must be However, Menendez has not been officially asked to resign from the Senate and he can return to his position if he is acquitted of these charges.

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