Bob Menendez pledges not to resign: ‘I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator’

A defiant Sen. Bob Menendez declared Monday he would not resign and was prepared for his “biggest fight yet,” delivering his first public remarks after the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan unsealed an indictment accusing the New Jersey Democrat of accepting extravagant bribes.

“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,” Menendez, clad in a dark pinstripe suit, told a crush of reporters in Union City, N.J., where he served as mayor in the 1980s and ’90s.

Menendez, who is facing his second indictment after a separate corruption case against him ended in a mistrial nearly six years ago, now stands accused of participating in a brazen bribery scheme in which he allegedly helped leak highly sensitive information to Egypt’s government.

Addressing the three-count indictment, Menendez urged his colleagues in Congress and all New Jerseyans to wait for the case to play out before they reach a conclusion. Menendez gained a reputation as a vengeful operator after his first trial, publicly warning those who had crossed him: “I know who you are, and I won’t forget you.”

This time around, Menendez is bleeding support at a rapid pace. On Friday, hours after the indictment went public, Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey demanded that Menendez resign, prompting more resignation calls from around the state. In a statement, Murphy, a Democrat, described the indictment as “deeply disturbing” and said the senator’s ability to represent the state had been compromised.

“To those who have rushed to judgment, you have done so based on a limited set of facts framed by the prosecution to be as salacious as possible,” Menendez, 69, said Monday. “Remember, prosecutors get it wrong sometimes. Sadly, I know that.”

Speaking in English and Spanish, Menendez — a son of Cuban immigrants — detailed his accomplishments in the Senate over a decade-and-a-half there, defended his handling of American relations with Egypt and said he would return to Washington this week to continue his work.

“My record is clear and consistent in holding Egypt accountable,” Menendez said of the authoritarian nation. “Those who are attempting to now malign my actions as it relates to Egypt simply don’t know the facts.”

Menendez has already given up his powerful role as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, if temporarily. He is due to run for reelection next year, and appears likely to face a crowded field of primary challengers.

On Saturday, Rep. Andy Kim, a Democrat, said he would run in the primary against Menendez. “We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity,” Kim, 41, wrote on social media.

The 39-page indictment unsealed last week said Menendez and his wife, Nadine, received hundreds of thousands of dollars, gold and a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for favors to three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government.

Federal agents who searched Menendez’s home last year uncovered more than $480,000 in cash crammed into sometimes curious locations — including closets and clothing — and more than $100,000 worth of gold bars, according to charging papers.

The indictment included images of the gleaming gold bars and jackets carrying Menendez’s name that were covered in piles of cash. The senator is due to appear in court Wednesday.

In his news conference Monday, Menendez said that over 30 years, he has withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from his savings account for “emergencies” and “because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba.”

“This may seem old-fashioned,” Menendez said. “But these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I had lawfully derived.”

“I look forward to addressing other issues at trial,” he said, skipping over the eye-popping claims about gold bars in his possession.

He left the news conference without taking questions.

Later in the day, the number of Democratic senators who had called on Menendez to resign climbed from one to three: Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont each issued statements calling for Menendez’s exit.

On Saturday, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania urged him to resign.

Cory Booker, a Democrat and New Jersey’s junior senator, has not weighed in. His office did not reply to a request for comment.

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