Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) entered a not guilty plea on Monday to an unprecedented charge accusing him of conspiring with his wife and a New Jersey businessman to operate as an unregistered foreign agent for the Egyptian government, as reported by The Associated Press (AP).

This plea was made in federal court in Manhattan, and a trial for the case is provisionally scheduled to commence in May, according to the AP.

Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York allege that Menendez “covertly assisted” and shared sensitive U.S. government information with Egypt, marking the first instance in which a sitting U.S. senator has faced accusations of acting on behalf of another nation.

Being a member of Congress, Menendez is legally prohibited from agreeing to act as a foreign agent, The Hill reported.

In a statement to The Hill earlier this month, the senior senator characterized the new charge as “an attempt to wear someone down” while maintaining his innocence.

Menendez’s wife, Nadine Arslanian, and businessman Wael “Will” Hana are accused of conspiring with the New Jersey Democrat between January 2018 and June 2022 to assist the Egyptian government.

Written by staff