Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez Makes Decision on Re-Election Amid Gold Bar Scandal - Report
Embattled Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey will not seek re-election in November as he faces bribery and other charges, according to the New York Post.
According to a source close to the political veteran, Menendez made the decision Thursday not to seek another term in the Senate.
The Post reported Thursday it had spoken to someone in the three-term senator’s orbit who said the 70-year-old will retire in January.
“He will not be running,” said the person, who wasn’t identified.
The newspaper noted Menendez was polling in the single digits ahead of the June 4 Democratic primary and faces serious challengers in Democratic Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey and the state’s first lady, Tammy Murphy.
A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released last month found Kim’s support was nearly quadruple the senator’s, with the wife of Gov. Phil Murphy in second place.
The report on the senator’s decision came less than 24 hours after Menendez said he would not step down and he was considering seeking a fourth term representing New Jersey in the Senate.
After new charges were filed against Menendez on Wednesday, CNN’s Manu Raju asked the senator, “Are you considering resigning?”
Menendez smiled, patted the reporter on the back and said, “No.”
“What about running for re-election?” Raju asked.
He responded said, “Ahh, that’s another question.”
That question appears to have been answered.
The senator was first elected in 2006 and was re-elected in 2012 and again in 2018 – in spite of previous allegations of corruption.
In September, federal prosecutors accused Menendez of accepting bribes from contractors and being paid in cash and gold by the Egyptian government, according to a Department of Justice news release.
“As the grand jury charged, between 2018 and 2022, Senator Menendez and his wife engaged in a corrupt relationship with Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes – three New Jersey businessmen who collectively paid hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including cash, gold, a Mercedes Benz, and other things of value – in exchange for Senator Menendez agreeing to use his power and influence to protect and enrich those businessmen and to benefit the Government of Egypt,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
The senator has denied allegations he accepted cash to help officials in Cairo receive help in Washington when Menendez was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The FBI raided his home and found cash and $500,000 in bars of gold in numerous areas throughout his and his wife’s primary residence, according to the DOJ release.
Some cash was allegedly stuffed in jackets in a closet.
The senator and his wife, Nadine, were initially hit with conspiracy and other charges and Menendez was met with immediate calls to resign — even from within his party.
On Tuesday, The Hill reported the senator was charged with 12 additional federal crimes, including obstruction of justice and bribery.
Uribe pleaded guilty last week in the case and will act as a cooperating witness against Menendez.
The senator was charged in 2015 with bribery and conspiracy by the Justice Department, but a jury failed to reach a verdict and the case was dropped.
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