New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez faces federal criminal investigation

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is under federal criminal investigation in Manhattan, a spokesman for the senator confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday.

“Sen. Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation,” Michael Soliman, an adviser to Menendez, mentioned in a statement. “As always, should any official inquires be made, the senator is available to provide any assistance that is requested of him or his office.”

Menendez became a senator in 2006, and is up for re-election in 2024. In 2015, Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges, accused of illegally accepting favors from a Florida ophthalmologist, together with hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in political contributions. When jurors could not attain a unanimous verdict, the case resulted in a mistrial, and federal prosecutors decided in 2018 to not retry Menendez.