Justice Dept. pushes back against Sen. Menendez’s defense

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is pushing back against efforts by Sen. Bob Menendez to dismiss the corruption indictment against him.

Federal prosecutors on Monday responded to hundreds of pages of legal filings from the New Jersey Democrat that sought to dismiss the case and that raised allegations of misconduct by government prosecutors.

Menendez was indicted in April on charges that he accepted campaign contributions and lavish gifts from a wealthy Florida eye doctor in exchange for political and business favors.

The government said in court documents Monday that the indictment was the result of an “exhaustive, focused, and disciplined investigation” that lasted more than two years. And prosecutors also said Menendez’s lawyers relied on “selective snippets” in arguing that an FBI agent had given false testimony before the grand jury.

Category: National