Menendez says he'll still be NJ's senior senator once 'all the facts are presented' in bribery case
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman was indicted Friday on federal bribery charges.
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez said Monday that he's confident he will remain the senior senator of New Jersey once all the facts of the federal government's bribery case are made known.
"I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be the New Jersey senior senator," he said during a news conference in his hometown of Union City.
Menendez and his wife have been indicted on federal bribery charges that were made public Friday.
They have been charged with bribery for allegedly having accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in exchange for the senator's influence to enrich three New Jersey businessmen and benefit the Egyptian government, according to the indictment filed in Manhattan federal court.
Menendez on Monday emphasized that an American citizen is innocent until proven guilty under America's justice system.
"The allegations leveled against me are just that – allegations," he said.
He also had a message for those rushing to judgment against him, saying they are relying on a "limited set of facts" from the prosecution.
"Prosecutors get it wrong sometimes," he said.