On Tuesday, New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez was charged with a dozen fresh criminal charges connected to a protracted bribery scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
These charges emerged shortly after one of the New Jersey businessmen, who was previously indicted alongside Menendez, his wife Nadine, and two others, opted to plead guilty and collaborate with the investigation.
The superseding indictment introduces a range of new charges against Menendez, including conspiracy, obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent while holding public office, bribery, extortion, and honest services wire fraud.
Previously, Menendez faced four counts of conspiracy related to bribery, honest services fraud, extortion under color of official right, and acting as a foreign agent while in public office.
The newly filed charges add the underlying substantive crimes to the charges of conspiracy.
Menendez has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has accused prosecutors of unfairly singling him out.
