The indictment alleges that Menendez received gifts in return for publicly endorsing the Qatari government. This comes on the heels of his resignation as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, following a federal indictment in September accusing him of acting as an unauthorized agent for Egypt.
The Justice Department asserts that Menendez leveraged his senatorial power and influence to accept bribes amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars to favor the Egyptian government.
The Department of Justice unveiled an indictment on Tuesday, alleging that Menendez accepted gifts, including tickets to a racing tournament, in exchange for a commitment to assist the Qatari government, as reported by BBC News. Prosecutors further claim that the senator accepted cash and gold bars, fully aware that he was expected to undertake activities beneficial to the Qatari government and aid a fund associated with that government in providing a multimillion-dollar investment to another defendant, Fred Daibes. Menendez was allegedly aware of the expectation that he would assist Qatar in persuading a Qatari investment firm to partner with Daibes, according to Fox 5.
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In December, the FBI claimed to have discovered at least four gold bars at Menendez's residence, allegedly linked to Daibes. Prosecutors argue that the senator accepted these gold bars as a form of bribery. The FBI indictment accuses Daibes, along with businessmen Wael Hana and Jose Uribe, of participating in a "years-long bribery scheme." It alleges that Menendez and his wife "accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes" from the trio in return for Menendez's "agreement to use his official position to protect and enrich them and to benefit the Government of Egypt."
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In September, Menendez pleaded not guilty to three counts of bribery charges. He and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, were accused of receiving bribes in the form of "cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value."
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In response to the new allegations, Menendez's lawyer, Adam Fee, told USA Today, "The government's new allegations stink of desperation." He added, "This latest Indictment only exposes the lengths to which these hostile prosecutors will go to poison the public before a trial even begins. But these new allegations don't change a thing, and their theories won't survive the scrutiny of the court or a jury."
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Before his indictment on Feb. 3, 2021, Menendez served as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From Feb. 6, 2018, until he assumed the chair position, he was the highest-ranking committee member of his party during the Democratic minority in the Senate under the Trump administration. His status as a committee member has not changed.
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The indictment alleges that Menendez introduced Daibes to the principal of a Qatari investment firm, a member of the Qatari royal family, who began considering a multimillion-dollar investment in a Daibes real estate project in New Jersey. Prosecutors note that Menendez issued numerous public statements in support of the Qatari government during that period.
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According to the indictment, Menendez sent Daibes the text of a press release praising Qatar via an encrypted messaging application on Aug. 20, 2021, suggesting that Daibes "might want to send to them. I am just about to release." Prosecutors claim that shortly thereafter, the Prince of Qatar communicated with a Qatari official, "I received a copy from F."
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On the same day, Menendez released a statement in which he praised Qatari allies, describing them as "moral exemplars" for their hospitality towards Afghan refugees seeking refuge in the United States after fleeing the Taliban, prosecutors allege.
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The Democratic senator, according to the indictment, pledged to "closely follow the Biden administration's efforts to dispatch more U.S. personnel to Qatar to scale up and expedite Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) applications as well as other complementary pathways for protection."
The following day, Menendez commended the Qatari government in a statement for its "recent contribution of an additional $100 million towards humanitarian operations in Yemen to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the country." "I encourage all countries to follow Qatar's example and fulfill their pledges to help alleviate this devastating crisis," Menendez said, as reported by USA Today.
Both Congressional Democrats and Republicans have urged Menendez to resign; however, he has refused to do so and continues to maintain his innocence.
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