The indictment Friday of Sen. Bob Menendez comes more than a year before the New Jersey Democrat is expected to be on the ballot seeking a fourth full term and as his party is playing defense in numerous states, trying to hold on to a narrow Senate majority.
Indicted Friday along with his wife, Nadine, on federal bribery charges, Menendez said in a statement that he was “confident that this matter will be successfully resolved once all of the facts are presented.” He said he would not be distracted by “baseless allegations.”
Menendez did step aside, however, as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee “until the matter has been resolved,” Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said in statement Friday afternoon. Schumer also called Menendez a “dedicated public servant” and said he “has a right to due process and a fair trial.”
