Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in Manhattan to three counts related to bribery.

The senator was indicted on Friday for allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

Democrat Senator Bob Menendez Pleads Not Guilty to Accepting 'Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars of Bribes' https://t.co/oGFtuLcZul pic.twitter.com/2PUvm36QEe

— The B.A.R. (@blkamrrepublic) September 28, 2023

The details

"His plea on Wednesday came before U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York Ona T. Wang, Reuters reported," according to Breitbart News.

"Menendez is one of five codefendants in the case, along with his wife, Nadine Menendez, and the three New Jersey businessmen — Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, and Jose Uribe," it added.

Bob Menendez: US senator pleads not guilty as FBI probes Egypt ties https://t.co/RUTGslR0We

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The formal charges

"Mr. Menendez's bail was set at $100,000 (£82,478) and he was ordered to surrender his personal passports but was allowed to keep an official passport for government business," the BBC reported.

"The court also ordered that besides his wife, he cannot have any contact with his co-defendants or any Senate staffers outside of the presence of lawyers," it noted.

NEW: Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to federal corruption charges. https://t.co/r5yUZdBOXy

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 27, 2023

Calls to resign

"Menendez, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, faces a deluge of calls to resign from his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and at the local level in New Jersey. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than half of the Senate Democratic caucus had called for him to step down," NBC News reported.

"He is expected to address Senate Democrats at their party lunch Thursday, for the first time since the indictment," it continued.

The allegations include claims that Menendez's home held over $480,000 in cash hidden in envelopes. Many gold bars and other items were reportedly included in the report by investigators. The senator is also involved in many political action committees (PACs) that have also helped fund other Democrats in previous elections.

The other three men involved in the indictment are accused of paying bribes to Menendez. The senator claims that he withdrew the cash to keep in case of emergencies.

The Senate has passed a unanimous resolution to remove Menendez from chairing the Foreign Relations Committee. However, the Senate has stopped short of seeking impeachment, instead allowing the case to move forward to determine any guilt by the Democrat.