Washington — New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, have been accused by the Justice Department of conspiring to act as a foreign agent for Egypt, according to new court documents unsealed Thursday.
The superseding indictment filed in federal district court in New York charges Menendez with one count of conspiracy for a public official to act as an agent of a foreign principal, the Egyptian government and its officials. Federal law prohibits Menendez, as a public official, from serving as a foreign agent.
According to prosecutors, Menendez made a commitment to carry out various actions in favor of Egypt, specifically for Egyptian military and intelligence officials. He allegedly conspired with Wael Hana, an Egyptian businessman residing in New Jersey who operates a halal meat company, along with his wife.
The new allegations against Menendez
According to the recent indictment, Hana and Nadine Menendez have been accused of relaying messages and instructions from Egyptian officials to Menendez. The Justice Department clarified that neither Hana nor Nadine Menendez had registered as foreign agents or lobbyists.
Menendez, along with Nadine Menendez, Hana and two other New Jersey businessmen were charged last month for allegedly engaging in a bribery scheme that prosecutors said involved the senator accepting lavish bribes in exchange for official acts.
Menendez and his wife were charged with three counts in the initial indictment, and he now faces a total of four counts. The senator pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment on the three counts last month. He temporarily stepped down from his role leading the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the original charges were brought.
Menendez declared on Thursday that the recent accusation made by the government contradicts his extensive history of advocating for human rights and democracy in Egypt. He has consistently challenged the country’s leaders, including President El-Sisi, on these matters. Throughout his entire life, he has remained devoted to a single nation, the United States of America, the land his family intentionally selected as their home for democracy and liberty.
Menendez persists in asserting his innocence, emphasizing, “Merely stacking one allegation upon another does not render them true. The circumstances remain unchanged, with only a fresh accusation added. This strategy aims to exhaust an individual, but I refuse to yield to such tactics. I implore those acquainted with my character and track record to afford me the opportunity to present my defense and demonstrate my innocence.”
In the recently released charging document, it has been revealed that Menendez and Hana had a minimum of two meetings at Manhattan restaurants. These meetings took place in June 2018 and September 2019. Furthermore, during the second meeting, an undisclosed Egyptian official was also present.
Prosecutors assert that Nadine Menendez engaged in meetings and direct correspondence with several Egyptian officials, with knowledge that some of them were intelligence officials. They allege that she received requests from these officials and transmitted information and requests from them to Menendez.
The alleged bribery scheme
According to the original document, prosecutors claimed that Nadine Mendez and Hana collaborated after Nadine started dating the senator to connect him with Egyptian intelligence and military officials, aiming to establish a “corrupt agreement.” Prosecutors alleged that, as part of this arrangement, Menendez and his wife would be given substantial bribes amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for carrying out actions that would benefit the Egyptian government.
In June 2022, the Justice Department reported that a search conducted at Menendez’s residence in New Jersey resulted in the discovery of evidence linking Menendez and Nadine Menendez to a corrupt bribery agreement.
According to court documents, federal agents discovered over $480,000 in cash concealed within envelopes and various hiding spots such as clothing, closets, and a safe. The indictment includes photographs that depict gold bars and cash scattered on a jacket labeled with Menendez’s name, alongside a Mercedes-Benz convertible that Nadine Menendez purportedly obtained as part of the bribery scheme.
In 2018, allegations were made against Nadine Menendez, claiming that she organized meetings and dinners between Menendez and Egyptian officials. It is alleged that during these gatherings, the senator made promises to utilize his authority in order to “facilitate” foreign military sales and financing. In return for these favors, Hana, who covered the expenses for the dinners, allegedly had his wife added to the payroll of Menendez’s company.
After the Justice Department made allegations, there was a surge of requests for Menendez to step down, with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and several Democratic colleagues in the Senate leading the call. In response to the recent accusation of Menendez plotting as a foreign agent, Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, suggested that the entire Senate should cast their votes to remove the New Jersey senator.
In a statement, Fetterman firmly expressed that having an individual suspected of being a foreign agent in the United States Senate is absolutely unacceptable. He emphasized that this is not a matter open for debate or interpretation.
But the senator has resisted the pressure to step down and instead vowed that he will be exonerated.
Last month, Menendez explained that the money discovered by agents while searching his residence had been withdrawn from his personal savings account and reserved for “emergencies,” a practice he has followed for many years. He also referenced his family’s past experiences with confiscation in Cuba as a justification for storing significant amounts of cash at home.
The most recent charges come years after Menendez was indicted in 2015 on roughly a dozen counts, including bribery and conspiracy, following accusations he accepted gifts from a wealthy Democratic donor in exchange for political favors. That case ended in a mistrial when jurors were unable to reach a verdict after deliberating for more than a week.
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