Senator Bob Menendez of the US is charged with receiving gifts from Qatar.

US Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, has been indicted on fresh federal charges, accused of accepting bribes from Qatar, marking the second foreign country he is alleged to have improperly aided. The latest indictment, covering a corruption scheme from 2021-23, asserts that Menendez accepted gifts, including tickets to car races, in exchange for praising the Qatari government. Menendez, who pleaded not guilty in October to charges related to acting as an illegal agent of Egypt, faces increasing calls to resign. The indictment extends the alleged plot by a year, encompassing his tenure as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez, 70, denies any wrongdoing, and his lawyer calls the Justice Department's claims "baseless" and "bizarre conjectures." The indictment alleges that Menendez assisted businessman Fred Daibes in securing Qatari investment by making public statements favoring Qatar. Daibes and three other New Jersey businessmen named in the case have denied charges. Prosecutors claim Menendez supplied statements to Daibes, who used them to persuade a Qatari royal to invest in his real estate project.

The indictment reveals text messages indicating Menendez's involvement, such as one where he allegedly texted Daibes about releasing a press release praising Qatar. The senator received benefits from Qatar, including tickets to a Formula One Grand Prix race in Miami. The indictment also alleges that Menendez performed a web search for "how much is one kilo of gold worth" after returning from a trip to Qatar and Egypt, where investigators later discovered two one-kilo gold bars at his house.

Menendez's lawyer, Adam Fee, dismisses the allegations as desperate, stating that the claims are based on routine, lawful contacts between a senator and constituents or foreign officials. Fee emphasizes that Menendez acted appropriately in his interactions with various countries, including Qatar and Egypt.