Sen. Bob Menendez, wife, indicted on federal corruption charges

After more than a year of investigations, it appears that Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has been indicted on federal charges, for the second time while in office.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. ET to discuss the indictment.

 “A press event will be held today at 11:00 a.m. to announce the unsealing of an indictment charging Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator from New Jersey, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, with bribery offenses in connection with their corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen,” the DOJ said in a statement.

Prosecutors are looking into whether New Jersey developer Fred Daibes gave or arranged for Menendez and his wife, Nadine, to receive gold bars in exchange for a promise of help in Daibes’ criminal case. Menendez “promised to and did use his influence and power and breach his official duty to recommend that the President nominate an individual for U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who Menendez believed could be influenced by Menendez with respect to the federal prosecution of Fred Daibes,” the indictment said.

Menendez, a Democrat, is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senate Democratic Caucus rules will force Menendez to step aside as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but he can still serve on the panel. His last federal trial ended in a mistrial in 2017 and the DOJ dropped its probe in 2018. He is up for re-election next year.