Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was indicted on corruption charges Wednesday, marking the first time a sitting U.S. senator has been criminally charged since Alaska’s Ted Stevens in 2008, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The 61-year-old Democrat and key opponent of President Obama’s key foreign-policy initiatives said he was “outraged” by the charges, which came after a two-year investigation by the FBI.
The focus of the probe was on the senator and Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen.
“Prosecutors at the Justice Department do not know the difference between friendship and corruption,”Menendez said. “I’m confident at the end of the day I will be vindicated and they will be exposed.”
The grand jury handed down a 14-count indictment, which alleges Menendez used his authority to help Dr. Melgen in exchange for campaign contributions.
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