Sen. Bob Menendez, DN.J. He filed a motion to dismiss on Wednesday indictment accusing him of bribery and acting as a foreign agent.
Menendez’s attorney, Adam Fee, said in a statement that the charges against his client were unconstitutional and that Wednesday’s motion to dismiss the charges was “made to expose the government’s work.”
“The charges brought against him violate Constitutional safeguards designed to stop overzealous prosecutors from second-guessing the honest actions of elected officials,” Fee said. “Indeed, as our motion shows, much of what the prosecutors are charging here may not even constitute a crime. There should be no court proceedings.”
“The government must be forced to end this case, as well as Senator Menendez’s unilateral efforts to falsely tarnish the reputation he has built over 50 years of patriotic public service,” he said. “We look forward to the court’s decision”
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were in September accused of bribery alleging that they accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in exchange for using the senator’s influence to enrich three New Jersey businessmen and allegedly benefit the Egyptian government.
He faced Menendez additional payments in October alleged that the Democratic senator, then acting chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “provided sensitive information to the US government and took other steps that covertly aided the Egyptian government.”
He, his wife and businessmen pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Menendez He temporarily resigned as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee After being indicted on bribery charges in September, however, he remains a member of the panel.
Last week, a federal grand jury struck down Menendezthe second replaces the indictment he claimed he helped one of his businessmen, a New Jersey developer, secure a multimillion-dollar investment from a company linked to Qatar by making several statements supporting the country. Menendez also exchanged text messages with the developer about the alleged scheme, the indictment said.
Menendez’s motion to dismiss the indictment comes a day after that he forcefully rejected the new claims in a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday. He denied wrongdoing and called on his colleagues to give him a chance to explain himself in court.
In a nearly 20-minute speech, Menendez criticized the “sensational” allegations against him that have led to a growing number of colleagues calling for his resignation.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is in the business of prosecuting, not prosecuting,” he said. “They seek victory, not justice”
Frank Thorpe W contributed.