Menendez Asserts Right to Attend Classified Briefings Despite Indictment
Menendez has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and has ignored calls from many Democratic colleagues to step down.
Mike Segar/Reuters
Why was Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who was indicted recently on charges of bribery and acting as an unregistered foreign agent, able to attend a classified briefing on Ukraine Wednesday morning? That was the question posed by CNN’s Manu Raju following the meeting—one that Menendez didn’t seem to appreciate it. “Bottom line is, I’m a United States Senator. I have my security credentials. And an accusation is just that. It’s not proof of anything.” Menendez has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and has ignored calls from many Democratic colleagues to step down. He has, however, resigned as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told CNN that there was “an ongoing conversation” about Menendez’s future access to classified information.
New — Bob Menendez, indicted on charges of acting as a foreign agent, just attended classified briefing.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 1, 2023
Asked him about the propriety given he’s charged with conspiring to help Egypt.
“I have my security credentials, and an accusation is just that. It’s not proof of anything.” pic.twitter.com/WwURYGe0m2
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