Federal law enforcement officials have launched a second investigation related to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) being indicted last week on federal corruption charges.
NBC News reported that the FBI has now launched a counterintelligence investigation in addition to the criminal case against Menendez to ascertain whether Egypt’s intelligence services were involved in the alleged bribery scheme.
Investigators want to know if Egypt’s intelligence services gained access to the senator, who was chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, through his wife, the report said.
Menendez was forced to step down from his chairmanship after being indicted due to Senate Democrat bylaws.
The federal indictment against Menendez accused the senator and his wife of accepting bribes from three businesspeople in exchange for actions that he took as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the DOJ, the bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt.
“Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,” the indictment said. Federal authorities reportedly found gold bars and nearly $500,000 in cash stuffed throughout the senator’s home that they traced back to the businessmen Menendez allegedly worked with.
Menendez faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted of the charges, which include conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
Menendez was arraigned in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona Wang allowed Menendez to be released on a $100,000 bond, but ordered the senator to surrender his passport and placed restrictions on contacts with others.
The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, also entered a not-guilty plea, as have three other co-defendants in the case.
Related: Flood Of Democrat Senators Call On Bob Menendez To Resign Over Corruption Allegations
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.
