Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez facing additional charges following sweeping indictment

ByAaron Katersky ABCNews logo
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Senator Bob Menendez faces new charges
Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey is now being accused of acting as a foreign agent.

Federal prosecutors filed new charges Thursday against Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., accusing him of violating a prohibition on members of Congress from acting as an agent of a foreign principal.

The superseding indictment said Menendez "made multiple requests for the U.S. Department of Justice to commence an investigation against another person for allegedly failing to register under FARA."

Menendez faced a sweeping indictment in late September accusing him and his wife of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using the senator's power and influence to seek to protect and enrich the businessman.

The superseding indictment includes four new charges and appears to mark the first time a sitting member of Congress has ever been charged with conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.

The indictment alleges Menendez conspired with his wife, Nadine Menendez, and New Jersey businessman Wael Hana to have the senator act as an agent of Egypt.

The indictment includes new photos of Menendez, his wife and Hana dining with Egyptian officials that prosecutors said were part of a "corrupt agreement" to provide the senator and his wife with hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for official acts taken to benefit the Egyptians.

Once Nadine Menendez informed her friend Hana that she was dating Menendez, prosecutors said the two "arranged a series of meetings and dinners" with Egyptian officials. In exchange for bribe payments, Menendez was meant to help lift a block on U.S. military aide to Egypt, the indictment says.

The new indictment also alleges Nadine Menendez set up an LLC to receive bribe payments, quoting a message from her saying "every time I'm in a middle person for a deal I am asking to get paid and this is my consulting company."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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