Politics

Senator Indicted On Corruption Charges To File As Independent Ahead Of Reelection Bid: REPORT

Sen. Bob Menendez takes a tour of a Federal Medical Station (FMS) at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, N.J., April 2, 2020. The FMS will hold approximately 250 hospital beds for non COVID-19 patients. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Michael Schwenk)

Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez will file as an independent on Monday leading up to his reelection bid, according to the New Jersey Globe.

Menendez, who was indicted on numerous corruption and bribery charges, announced in March that he will not be running in the Democratic Senate primary, but maintained he would be running for reelection if acquitted. He is currently running his own campaign and has been collecting signatures for a nominating petition to obtain ballot eligibility as an independent, the New Jersey Glob confirmed.

Menendez has since met the 800 signature minimum needed to file by the June 4 deadline, according to NBC News.

The indictments were brought forth following a search of his New Jersey home, in which law enforcement found over $480,000 in cash stuffed in envelopes, closets, safes and jackets, a luxury vehicle paid for by a New Jersey businessman and over $100,000 worth of gold bars, according to an indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Menendez also held a leadership position at the time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which gave him influence over “the Executive Branch’s decisions to provide foreign military sales, foreign military financing, and other air or support to or for the benefit of the Government of Egypt,” according to the indictment.

Menendez’s trial began with a jury selection on May 13, where U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein laid out the 18-count indictment, NBC News reported. The trial is set to go on through June, according to the New Jersey Globe. (RELATED: Federal Judge Shoots Down Sen. Menendez Request To Delay Corruption Trial)

Menendez has held his New Jersey senatorial seat as a Democrat since 2006, and had previously been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 to New Jersey’s 13th District. The senate seat is being challenged by 10 other candidates, including Democratic Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey.

Menendez’s office declined to comment, and Menendez, himself, was not able to be reached.

Featured Image Credit: Flickr/U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Michael Schwenk