New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez denies allegations, refuses to resign
UNION CITY, N.J. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez says he will return to Washington this week and get back to work despite being indicted on bribery charges.
"For now, I remain focused on the continuing to doing the important work I do everyday on behalf of the nine million people who call New Jersey home, including doing everything we can this week to avoid a government shutdown, deliver critical funding for states affected by catastrophic natural disasters and ensure the people of Ukraine have everything they need to defeat Putin," Menendez declared.
The Democratic senator defended himself against allegations of corruption during a press conference this morning, suggesting he has no plans to resign.
"For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba. Now this may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years," Menendez shared.
Rep. Andy Kim announced Saturday he'd challenge Menendez for his seat.
Menendez and his wife were indicted Friday on charges that include conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion. The indictment alleges they received bribes including cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, a luxury vehicle and other items of value.
