WISE CHOICE

Menendez to Skip Classified Israel Briefing After Foreign Agent Charges

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) noted he’d had “private conversations” with Menendez on the matter.

Federally indicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) will not attend a classified meeting about Israel on Wednesday. According to The Hill, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon, noting he’d had “private conversations” with Mendendez on the matter. Politico asked Menendez Tuesday morning about whether he would make an appearance at the briefing, and the senator replied, “I have enough information to know what I need to do as it relates to supporting the state of Israel.” He added that he wasn’t certain the meeting would be “helpful.” Menendez later told reporters that it was his choice to skip the briefing. This comes just days after the former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was charged with acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. He has denied the accusation and refused to step down, despite over half of Democratic senators calling for his resignation. This federal indictment supersedes one from late last month, in which prosecutors claimed he accepted bribes, including gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible.