Bob Menendez: 'I will be exonerated' on fraud charges

A defiant New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez has doubled down in his denial of federal corruption charges announced last week.

"When all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey's senior senator," he said on Monday.

Prosecutors allege Mr Menendez and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for aid to Egypt.

The senator has so far rejected calls from fellow Democrats to resign.

Instead, in his first public appearance since he was indicted, Mr Menendez said he would run for re-election.

And the embattled senator seemed to hit out at those colleagues who have publicly asked him to resign, saying "the court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system".

"Those who rushed to judgment, you have done so based on a limited set of facts framed by the prosecution to be as salacious as possible," he said, speaking in Union City, New Jersey, where he rose to political fame.

"The allegations levelled against me are just that - allegations," he said.

The 39-page indictment, unsealed by federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week, accused both Mr Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for the senator's political influence at home and abroad.

Investigators found $550,000 (£450,000) in cash and 13 bars of gold bullion during a search of a safe deposit box and the couple's home in New Jersey in June 2022.

According to the indictment, Mr Menendez searched online for 'how much is one kilo of gold worth' in January 2022.

Agents said they also found a luxury Mercedes-Benz paid for by one of the businessmen parked in the garage.

The indictment said that after the couple received the car, Mrs Menendez texted her husband to say: "Congratulations mon amour de la vie, we are the proud owners of a 2019 Mercedes."