Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to obstruct justice in the bribery case against him and his wife.
The superseding indictment against Menendez and his wife, Nadine, brings the total number of federal charges against the once-powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman to 18.
Senator Bob Menendez described the new charges as “a flagrant abuse of power
The new indictment comes just days after Menendez’s co-defendant in the case, New Jersey businessman Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the investigation.
According to the indictment, the senator first had his lawyer tell investigators that he was unaware of the car or mortgage payments made by another businessman who was also allegedly involved in the bribery scheme. According to the indictment, he later had his attorney tell investigators that he had discovered they were loans when he “well knew” that they “were not loans, but bribe payments.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, the senator described the new charges as “a flagrant abuse of power.”
“The government has long known that I learned of and helped repay loans—not bribes — that had been provided to my wife,” he said, describing the prosecutor’s office as “overzealous” as well as “out to get me.”
“I am innocent and will prove it no matter how many charges they continue to pile on,” he went on to say.
Attorneys for Bob and Nadine Menendez did not immediately return a request for comment.