Gold bars, cash-stuffed envelopes: Calls grow for Menendez to quit Congress

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has called on Senator Bob Menendez, who represents the US state in the chamber, to resign following his indictment on bribery charges.

"The allegations in the indictment against Senator Menendez and four other defendants are deeply disturbing. These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system," Murphy said in a statement on Friday.

"Alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state," Murphy said.

"Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation."

Menendez was charged with secretly aiding the government of Egypt and trying to thwart the criminal prosecution of a friend in exchange for gold bars and cash, as prosecutors unsealed a corruption indictment that accuses him of using his foreign affairs influence for personal gain.

He relinquished his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but said he would not resign from Congress, though New Jersey's governor, a fellow Democrat, said he should.

Menendez charges

The indictment, the second in eight years against the powerful 69-year-old New Jersey Democrat, alleges an illegal commingling of Menendez’s professional obligations as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance US priorities and his private interest in cultivating relationships with wealthy businessmen.

It also includes charges against his wife and three New Jersey businessmen who authorities say showered the couple with money, gold and a luxury car in exchange for official favours.

Menendez is separately accused of trying to derail the criminal case against one of the businessmen by pushing to install Philip R. Sellinger as US attorney for New Jersey because Menendez believed he could influence Sellinger.

Prosecutors say he also tried to use his position of power to try to meddle in a separate criminal investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General's office.

Authorities found more than $100,000 worth of gold bars in Menendez's home, and more than $480,000 in cash — much of it hidden in closets, clothing, and a safe, prosecutors say.

Photos included in the indictment show cash that was stuffed in envelopes found in jackets bearing Menendez's name.

Investigators discovered a Google search by Menendez for the value of a "kilo of gold," and the DNA of one man prosecutors say bribed him on an envelope filled with thousands of dollars in Menendez’s home, they said.

His steps include ghost-writing a letter to fellow senators encouraging them to lift a hold on $300 million in aid to Egypt as well as transmitting non-public information to Egyptian officials about military issues, the indictment says.

Menendez, in an emailed statement, accused prosecutors of misrepresenting "the normal work of a congressional office" and said he would not allow his work in the Senate to be distracted by "baseless allegations."

David Schertler, a lawyer for Menendez’s wife, Nadine, said she "denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these charges in court."

Due accepted hefty bribes?

He faces reelection next year in a bid to extend his three-decade career in Washington as Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Senate.

Prosecutors allege Menendez and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from three business associates, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.

He used his influence to push to nominate Sellinger as US attorney because he believed he could influence Sellinger to protect Daibes, a longtime friend and prominent New Jersey developer who faced criminal prosecution, they said.

In April 2020, shortly after meeting with an Egyptian official, authorities allege, Menendez lobbied then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to increase American engagement in stalled negotiations involving Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to build a dam over the Nile River, a key foreign policy issue for Egypt.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Menendez has held public office continuously since 1986, when he was elected mayor of Union City, New Jersey.

Senate disclosure form amended by Menendez in March of 2022 shows Nadine Menendez's assets included gold bars valued between $100,000 to $250,000.

Between April and June of 2022, the couple cashed out at least part of their precious metal holdings, forms show, selling between $200,000 and $400,000 worth of gold bars, while keeping at least $250,000 worth of them.