Bob Menendez claims 'persecution' in Senate floor remarks after latest allegations

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., on Tuesday denied new bribery allegations against him involving Qatar and pushed back on calls from his Senate colleagues to resign in remarks on the chamber floor.

A federal grand jury last week issued a second superseding indictment against Menendez alleging he helped a New Jersey developer obtain a multimillion-dollar investment from a company linked to Qatar by making a series of statements supporting the country. Menendez is also accused of exchanging text messages with the developer about the alleged scheme.

Menendez vehemently denied the new allegations in an almost 20-minute speech on the Senate floor in which he maintained his innocence and urged his colleagues not to rush to judgment before he has the opportunity to explain himself in court.

In his speech, Menendez decried what he called the "sensational" allegations against him that have led to growing calls by colleagues for his resignation.

“The United States Attorney’s Office is engaged not in a prosecution, but a persecution,” he said. “They seek a victory, not justice.”

Menendez argued that he had advocated for business to come to New Jersey as part of his duties as a senator. He acknowledged his positive statements about Qatar and Egypt, but stressed that he has voiced his criticism of those countries and their leaders when he “felt they were falling short of their international obligations.”

“That give and take, that carrot and stick, that cajoling and rewarding, is the essence of diplomacy,” he said. “It is a job we all partake in every day as part of our duties in the Senate.”

Menendez denied allegations by the government that he and his wife used his influence to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including