{"id":2046428,"date":"2023-09-27T13:13:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T17:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-senator-bob-menendez-pleads-not-guilty-to-bribery-charges\/"},"modified":"2023-09-27T13:16:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T17:16:17","slug":"dem-senator-bob-menendez-pleads-not-guilty-to-bribery-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-senator-bob-menendez-pleads-not-guilty-to-bribery-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Bob Menendez denies bribery charges, pleads not guilty."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdem-senator-bob-menendez-pleads-not-guilty-to-bribery-charges%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2046428&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Senator Bob Menendez Pleads Not Guilty to Bribery Charges<\/h2>\n<p>Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New \u200cJersey, defiantly pleaded not \u2062guilty on Wednesday to charges of accepting bribes\u200d from three businessmen in his home\u200c state.\u200b The calls for his resignation from fellow Democrats have only\u200b intensified.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, federal prosecutors\u2064 in \u200cManhattan accused Menendez, along\u200b with his \u2064wife, of accepting \u200dgold \u200dbars and large sums of cash\u2063 in\u200b exchange \u200dfor using his political influence to aid\u2062 Egypt&#8217;s government and obstruct investigations into the businessmen.<\/p>\n<p>At\u2064 a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona \u2062Wang in Manhattan, Menendez entered his plea. Wang stated that the senator could\u200b be released on a $100,000\u200b personal recognizance bond. While he \u2063must\u2064 surrender his personal passport, he will be allowed to keep \u200dhis official \u2062passport for international travel related\u2063 to his official duties.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez&#8217;s wife, Nadine Menendez, as well as businessmen \u2062Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, also pleaded \u2064not guilty. Another businessman, Wael Hana, entered \u200chis plea on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Despite\u200b stepping down from \u200chis role\u200b as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as required by his \u200dparty&#8217;s rules, Menendez has vowed to\u2063 remain in the Senate and fight the charges. However, over half of all Democratic\u200d senators, including Cory Booker, the junior senator from New Jersey, have called\u2064 for Menendez&#8217;s resignation since the charges were \u2062announced. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois also joined his fellow Democrats \u2062in urging Menendez to step down.<\/p>\n<p>With \u2062Democrats narrowly controlling the Senate, New Jersey \u200dGovernor \u2064Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has also called for Menendez&#8217;s resignation. If Menendez were\u200b to \u2062step aside, Murphy would appoint a temporary replacement.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment \u2063against Menendez includes images\u200c of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-congressional-candidate-proposes-legislative-ban-on-public-retirement-funds-of-investments-in-china\/\" title=\"California Congressional Candidate Proposes Legislative Ban on Public Retirement Funds of Investments in China\">gold bars<\/a> \u200dand cash that investigators seized from his home. Prosecutors \u2062allege\u200b that Hana facilitated meetings between the senator \u200band Egyptian officials, who pressured Menendez to approve military aid. In return, Hana \u2062placed\u200b Menendez&#8217;s wife on the payroll of a\u2062 company \u2062he controlled.<\/p>\n<p>This is the third time Menendez has faced\u200b investigation by \u200cfederal prosecutors, although he has never been convicted. The outcome \u2063of \u200cthis latest case\u200c remains to be \u200dseen.<\/p>\n<p>(Reporting by Luc Cohen; additional reporting by Andrew \u2063Goudsward in Washington; editing by\u2063 Scott Malone, Timothy Gardner, \u2062and Jonathan Oatis)<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the potential implications for the Democratic Party \u2063if Senator Menendez is found guilty or acquitted\u2063 in his trial<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200cOvernment. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-attacks-senate-republicans-for-not-calling-out-biden-for-alleged-bribery-scheme\/\" title=\"Trump criticizes Senate Republicans for failing to condemn Biden's alleged bribery scheme.\">alleged bribery \u2062scheme<\/a> is said to have spanned several years, with Menendez allegedly receiving gifts and donations in exchange\u2064 for his support on various issues.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez has consistently \u200ddenied the charges and maintains his innocence. In a\u2063 press conference following his plea, he\u2064 stated, \u2063&#8221;I am confident that at the\u2062 end \u2062of the day, I will \u200dbe vindicated and they will be exposed for creating this false narrative.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Despite his defiant stance, the calls for Menendez&#8217;s resignation have grown louder within his own party. Many Democrats believe that the allegations against him \u2062are a stain on the party&#8217;s reputation and a distraction from their policy goals. They argue that Menendez should step down in \u200border to preserve the party&#8217;s credibility and focus on the\u2062 needs of \u200cthe American people.<\/p>\n<p>One \u2064of\u200d the most vocal critics of Menendez \u2063within the Democratic Party is New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Murphy, a fellow Democrat, has called on Menendez to resign, stating, &#8220;It is with a\u2064 heavy heart that I ask Senator Menendez\u2064 to step aside. Our party and\u200d our state \u200bdeserve better.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other prominent Democrats, such as\u200b Senator Chuck Schumer and\u200c Senator Elizabeth Warren, have \u2064also expressed\u2063 their concern and urged Menendez to consider resigning. They \u2062believe that his presence in the Senate \u200dwhile facing such serious charges is detrimental to the party&#8217;s image and jeopardizes their \u2064ability\u2062 to effectively govern.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, some Democrats argue \u2064that Menendez should be given the \u200dopportunity to defend himself in court before any judgment \u2063is made. They believe that the allegations \u200dagainst him are unproven \u200dand that it is important to uphold the principle of innocence until proven guilty.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez himself\u2064 has vowed to fight the charges and continue serving as a senator. He has stated that he will not\u2062 be stepping down and that he has faith in the justice system to clear his name.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome\u200c of Menendez&#8217;s trial will undoubtedly\u200b have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/solomon-court-decision-deals-body-blow-after-biden-admin-tried-to-block-corporate-move\/\" title=\"Solomon: Biden Admin's Block Fails as Court Deals Body Blow to Corporate Move.\">significant\u200c implications<\/a> for the Democratic \u200bParty and for the senator&#8217;s political career. If he is found guilty, Menendez could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-senator-bob-menendez-pleads-not-guilty-to-bribery-charges\/\" title=\"Senator Bob Menendez denies bribery charges, pleads not guilty.\">face significant jail \u2063time<\/a> and would likely be forced to resign from \u200cthe Senate. This\u2063 would not only be \u200ba blow to the party&#8217;s reputation but also potentially jeopardize their ability to pass legislation and advance their policy goals.<\/p>\n<p>If, however, Menendez is acquitted, it would be a major victory for him and a \u200cvindication \u2063of his claims of innocence. It would also allow him to continue \u2062serving as a senator and potentially rebuild \u2062his damaged reputation.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the Democratic\u2063 Party will have to grapple with the question\u2064 of how to handle the situation. Whether Menendez decides to resign or fight the charges, his trial will undoubtedly have \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-warn-iran-biden-nuclear-deal-will-be-trashed-when-gop-retakes-power\/\" title=\"Republicans Warn Iran: Biden Nuclear Deal Will Be Trashed When GOP Retakes Power\">long-lasting implications<\/a> for the party and its ability \u200cto effectively\u2062 govern. It is\u2063 crucial that the party carefully considers its next steps and prioritizes the needs and concerns of the American people above party politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) denied charges of accepting bribes from three businessmen, as fellow Democrats demanded his resignation. Prosecutors in Manhattan accused Menendez, 69, and his wife of taking gold bars and cash in return for favors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":2046429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2046428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2046428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2046429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2046428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2046428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2046428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}