Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has agreed to temporarily step down as ranking member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee following his grand jury federal indictment on corruption charges.
Menendez faces charges on 14 counts, including honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery after accepting nearly $1 million in gifts from a Florida ophthalmologist he identified as a friend and donor. The 68-page indictment states that the Cuban-American senator failed to report any gifts received between 2007 and 2012.
"I have always conducted myself in accordance with the law. I have always stood up for what I believed is right," Menendez said during a press conference Wednesday evening. "I fight for issues I believe in the people I represent and the safety and security of this country every single day. That's who I am and I am proud of what I have accomplished and I am not going anywhere."
A favorite within New Jersey's Hispanic community, Menendez followed his English-language statement with one aimed at Spanish speakers. He said he began his political career fighting corruption charges before adding "this is not how my career is going to end."
The Justice Department's case centers on Menendez's relationship with Salomon Melgen, who donated $600,000 to the senator's political action committee and paid for his three-night stay in Paris. In exchange, Menendez helped Melgen acquire visas for girlfriends and sought to "influence" the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services when the agency sought millions of dollars in "overbillings" from Melgen.
Menendez is one of three Latinos in the U.S. Senate and the only Democrat. The other two are Sens. Ted Cruz (R- Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.); both in contention for the GOP's presidential nomination.
Latinos lose more than their highest-ranking government voice if Menendez is found guilty. They lose political influence in Congress.
All three senate members frequently make the rounds on cable news shows. Menendez, however, champions immigration reform on his visits, and has repeatedly introduced pieces of legislation to repair what he's referred to as a "failed immigration system." Cruz and Rubio have come under fire for flip-flopping on the issue.
"Our relationship with the hemisphere is one of neighbor to neighbor, working cooperatively to improve the quality of life for all citizens in the Americas and to uphold the values, institutions, and attitudes contained in the Inter-American Democratic Charter that we believe best serve our citizenry and advance the social, political, and economic development of the people of the Americas," Menendez said before a foreign relations subcommittee hearing in 2011.
With Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) stepping down after his term ends, and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) likely replacing Reid, speculation began to swirl as to who would take Schumer's role as party whip.
That opportunity seems all but gone, regardless of Menendez's verdict.
Menendez is the 12th sitting senator to be indicted in U.S. history. He is expected to appear in court Thursday.
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