Robert Menendez: ‘I am not going anywhere’

By Burgess Everett
 

A defiant Sen. Robert Menendez forcefully denied any wrongdoing on Friday night as the Justice Department prepared to bring corruption charges against the New Jersey Democrat.

In a hastily-arranged press conference at a Newark Hilton, the influential Democratic lawmaker acknowledged that there is an “ongoing inquiry” and declined to take questions about the looming charges he is set to face. But he made clear that he had no intention of resigning,

“I am not going anywhere,” Menendez told a bank of television cameras.

The senator made no mention of whether he will step down from his prominent post as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez is expected to be charged over using his office to aid the business interests of Salomon Melgen, a political ally and also a personal friend, first reported by CNN. In his two-minute statement, the two-term senator made no effort to distance himself from Melgen, who he called a “real friend,” but pushed back against the suggestion he’s done anything illegal.

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“Let me be very clear, very clear. I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law,” Menendez said, listing his advocacy for anti-terrorism preparation and hurricane recovery. “As to Dr. Melgen, anyone who knows us knows that he and his family and me and my family have been real friends for more than two decades.”

He added that he and Melgen have “given each other birthday, holiday and wedding presents just as friends do.” Menendez had previously paid back $70,000 to Melgen for unreported flights on his private plane.

One of President Barack Obama’s sharpest critics on the president’s pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran, Menendez highlighted his fight to make “certain that Iran never, never achieves the ability to produce nuclear weapons.”

No reporters shouted questions after he delivered his statement, first in English then in Spanish. But Menendez indicated he may have more to say in the future.

“As much as I would like to, I cannot make any additional comments or answer any questions. The time may come to do that, and I hope you will understand,” he told reporters.