Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)—sometimes referred to as “Gold Bar Bob” because of accusations he accepted gold, cash, and luxury cars from three businessmen he improperly helped—announced Thursday that he will not run in the NJ Democrat primary, although he refused to rule out running as an independent.
In a nearly 10-minute video posted to social media, he still maintained his innocence despite the many charges against him, which include conspiracy, conspiring to commit bribery, honest services fraud, extortion, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
A message from Senator Menendez: https://t.co/WvzPc4zP6F
— Menendez for NJ (@BobMenendezNJ) March 21, 2024
He wrote that given the charges, he’s unable to adequately campaign:
Unfortunately the present accusations I am facing of which I am innocent and will prove so, will not allow me to have that type of dialog and debate…
