Bob Menendez Faces Legal Proceedings: Call to Dismiss Charges Against Him

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez requested today, Wednesday, that a judge dismiss criminal charges accusing him of corruption and acting illegally as an agent of the Egyptian government. Menendez, a Democrat representing New Jersey, pleaded not guilty in October to charges of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from New Jersey businessmen to obstruct law enforcement investigations against them and to assist officials from the Egyptian army and intelligence without registering as an agent of a foreign party. Menendez's attorneys wrote in documents submitted to the Manhattan federal court, "The government's allegations in this case—that he sold his position and even sold his country—are patently false and a distortion of reality." A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, which filed the charges, has not yet responded to a request for comment. Prosecutors are set to respond to Menendez's motion by February 5. Last week, prosecutors filed an updated indictment accusing Menendez of helping a businessman from New Jersey secure an investment from a Qatari company with ties to the Gulf state's government.