(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – In an insult to the intelligence of the American people, Democrat US Senator Bob Menendez is claiming the piles of cash and gold bars found in his home were his “emergency savings” – as he refused to resign despite being indicted on severe bribery and corruption charges.
You can watch a video of Menendez’s claim further down this post.
Last Friday, Menendez (D-NJ), a member of the US Senate since 2006, was slapped with federal corruption charges along with his wife, Nadine Arslanian, and three others.
Menendez and Arslanian, who married in 2020, are accused of taking bribes from the country of Egypt and three New Jersey-based businessmen in exchange for political favors, National Review reports.
The indictment made Menendez the first member of the US Senate to have been indicted in two separate criminal cases.
In 2015, he was indicted for bribery and corruption for allegedly seeking to influence the Dominican Republican in favor of one of his donors. However, in 2018, the US Justice Department dropped all charges against him.
In a speech on Monday, which Menendez gave in both English and Spanish out of Union City, New Jersey, the Democrat lawmaker said he wouldn’t resign as the senior US senator for his state, The New York Post reports.
He alleged he was innocent and had stacked up cash and gold in his home as an “emergency” precaution.
In July 2022, federal investigators discovered almost $500,000 in cash and gold bars worth about $100,000 while searching Memendez’s home.
“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies, and because of the history of my family facing confiscation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,” the Democrat legislator stated.
“Now this may seem old-fashioned, but these were monies [sic] drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years,” he claimed.
Menendez dismissed assertions that he had “lost the trust of the people of New Jersey,” declaring such accusations “couldn’t be more wrong.”
He emphasized his senatorial record, noting his accomplishments included securing federal aid for Superstorm Sandy relief, funds to the 9/11 victims’ families, and benefits to WWII veterans.
Last week, the indicted lawmaker temporarily stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
However, high-profile Democrats like New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and US Reps. Dean Phillips (D-MN), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), and Jeff Jackson (D-NC) insist Menendez should resign.
Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) explained the thousands of dollars found by federal investigators in a suit of his, saying: "These were moneys drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years." pic.twitter.com/aEWd6ABHp5
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 25, 2023
