Bob Menendez hit with obstruction of justice charges in bribery case

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was hit Tuesday with charges that he and his wife conspired to obstruct justice in the bribery case against them.

The superseding indictment against Menendez and his wife Nadine brings the total amount of federal charges facing the once-powerful head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to 18.

The new indictment comes just days after one of Menendez’s co-defendants in the case, New Jersey businessman Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the probe.

The document cites a meeting Nadine Menendez had with Uribe in 2022 after federal investigators had issued subpoenas seeking information about payments he’d made on a luxury car for her, which prosecutors said was part of the bribery scheme. She asked Uribe what he’d tell investigators and he said he’d tell them it was a loan, the filing says. She told him that “sounded good,” according to the indictment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.