Sen. Menendez pleads not guilty to federal corruption charges

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife Nadine pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges during a Wednesday arraignment. Menendez was released on a $100,000 bond, while Nadine’s was set at $250,000. Two of the three businessmen who allegedly bribed the couple also entered not-guilty pleas Wednesday morning. Prosecutors allege the Menendezes took hundreds of thousands of dollars from the businessmen for using their political influence to benefit the Egyptian government and enrich the businessmen. The senator previously pleaded not guilty to separate corruption charges in 2015 which were later dropped after a 2017 mistrial.

Will Menendez resign? Menendez stepped down as chairman of the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee when he was officially charged on Friday but has yet to give up his seat in the Senate. Over half of the Democratic senators are calling for Menendez to resign, including fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. The junior senator said Menendez’s resignation would be best for the public and that stepping down would not indicate guilt. 

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Marvin Olasky’s report on keeping government agencies accountable.