Bob Menendez remains defiant amid bribery charges and calls to resign

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey remained defiant on Monday after being indicted on bribery charges at the end of last week, saying he believes he will be exonerated as he responded to some of the specific charges and evidence outlined by prosecutors.

Menendez's comments come amid a flurry of calls for his resignation - including from his own party and from his Senate colleagues. On Monday afternoon, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio became the second Democratic senator to call on Menendez to step down, joining Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.

In a statement delivered to reporters, Menendez offered some of his first public defense against some of the evidence discovered by investigators during their search of his home, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, which he argued he had on hand for emergencies and described as an "old fashioned" habit derived from his family's experience in Cuba.

"For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies, and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba," said Menendez. "Now this may seem old-fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years."

According to the indictment, searches of Menendez's home and safe deposit box that federal agents conducted in 2022 turned up nearly $500,000 in cash, including in envelopes inside jackets emblazoned with Menendez's name. Prosecutors say some of the envelopes had the fingerprints or DNA of one of the business contacts from whom the senator is accused of taking bribes.

Menendez has been charged with three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy. The conspiracy counts also charge his wife and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen.

The group is accused of coordinating to use Menendez's power as a US senator to benefit them personally and to benefit Egypt.