Bob Menendez corruption trial to begin: ‘I look forward to proving my innocence’

Trial for New Jersey senator will start Monday as he insists he’s innocent of 16 felony charges, including bribery and extortion

The criminal corruption trial of Democratic US senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is scheduled to get under way in a Manhattan federal court Monday, with prosecutors preparing a colorful tale of a greedy politician with a fondness for gold bullion, fast cars, and almost half a million dollars in cash found hidden around his home.

Menendez, 70, insists he is innocent of the 16 felony charges brought against him by the US attorney’s office of the southern district of New York, including bribery, extortion, obstruction, and acting as a foreign agent.

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Bob Menendez faces fresh corruption allegations involving Qatar

Democratic senator offered gifts in return for making positive comments about Gulf state, superseding indictment says

Bob Menendez, already the subject of sensational charges concerning the acceptance of illicit cash, gold bars and a Mercedes Benz car, faces new corruption allegations, outlined in a superseding indictment made public on Tuesday.

The New Jersey Democratic senator has already pleaded not guilty on charges involving interests linked to Egypt. He is now accused of corruption involving Qatar, although he does not face new charges.

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Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to charges of acting as an agent of Egypt

The Democratic senator stepped down from the foreign relations committee chair after accusations of being a foreign agent

Bob Menendez returned to court in New York on Monday and entered a not guilty plea to a charge alleging that the US senator conspired to act as an agent of the Egyptian government when he chaired the Senate foreign relations committee.

Menendez, 69, spoke up to say “not guilty” when offered the chance to make his plea during his first appearance before Judge Sidney Stein at federal court in lower Manhattan. Stein is expected to preside over a trial tentatively scheduled for May.

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Senator Bob Menendez charged with acting as foreign agent of Egypt

New Jersey Democratic senator has resisted calls for his resignation in the middle of a corruption scandal

Federal prosecutors on Thursday filed a superseding indictment against the Democratic senator Bob Menendez, charging him with being an unregistered agent of the Egyptian government, a court filing showed.

The New Jersey senator has thus far resisted calls for his resignation. His trial on corruption charges will begin next May.

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Menendez’s alleged sharing of information with Egypt risked lives of US embassy staff, ex-US official says

Former diplomat said senator’s allegedly corrupt actions could have put embassy staff in the sights of Egyptian intelligence

The lives of staff at the US embassy in Cairo may have been put in jeopardy by the indicted Democratic senator Bob Menendez’s alleged sharing of sensitive personnel information with the Egyptian government, according to former senior US officials who said the charges represented a grave betrayal of trust.

The New Jersey senator temporarily stepped down from his powerful position as chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee in September after he was indicted by federal prosecutors in New York on corruption charges, including allegations that he accepted cash bribes and gold bars in exchange for breaching his duties “in ways that benefited the government of Egypt”.

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Bob Menendez’s daughter says MSNBC colleagues will cover story ‘aggressively’

Alicia Menendez, a weekend anchor on liberal network, says she has been watching father’s case ‘along with all of you as a citizen’

The MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez said her colleagues at the network would “aggressively” cover the corruption scandal involving her father, the indicted New Jersey senator, Bob Menendez – “as they should”.

Alicia Menendez hosts a weekend show on the liberal-leaning network.

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Chuck Schumer says he is ‘disturbed’ by Bob Menendez bribery charges

Senate majority leader says fellow Democrat has fallen ‘way short’ of senatorial standards but stops short of calling for resignation

The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said on Wednesday he was “disturbed” by the fraud indictment against his fellow Democratic Senator, Bob Menendez, and that the New Jersey lawmaker has fallen “way short” of senatorial standards.

Menendez pleaded not guilty earlier in the day to charges of taking bribes from three New Jersey businessmen, as calls for his resignation from his fellow Democrats escalated.

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Senate votes to advance stopgap funding bill to avoid shutdown – as it happened

The 79-page stopgap spending bill would not include any border security measures, a major sticking point for House Republicans

In a major blow to Bob Menendez’s support, Cory Booker, his fellow Democratic senator from New Jersey, says he should resign following his indictment on corruption charges last week.

“I believe stepping down is best for those Senator Menendez has spent his life serving,” said Booker, who supported Menendez when he previously faced corruption charges in 2015.

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Bob Menendez refuses to quit and says $480,000 in cash was for personal use

New Jersey senator strikes defiant tone to reporters and accuses some of ‘rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat’

Insisting he would not resign after being indicted on corruption charges, the embattled New Jersey Democratic senator Bob Menendez told reporters that $480,000 in cash found in a safe, clothing and closets at his home was kept there for emergency personal use.

“For 30 years,” Menendez said, “I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings accounts, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba.”

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