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US Senator Menendez Unwilling to Leave Office Amid Investigation

© AP Photo / Pablo Martinez MonsivaisChairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ., left, gestures as he speaks as ranking member Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., sits right, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, to examine Russia and developments in Ukraine.
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ., left, gestures as he speaks as ranking member Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., sits right, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, to examine Russia and developments in Ukraine. - Sputnik International
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According to reports, the Department of Justice was moving ahead with criminal corruption charges against the New Jersey lawmaker.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) speaks about immigration reform at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington December 10, 2014 - Sputnik International
Double Criminal Indictment Possible Against Menendez, Benefactor - Expert
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Senator Robert Menendez denied accusations of corruption at a press conference and stressed that he does not intend to leave office.

"I fight for these issues and the people of our country every single day… That's who I am, and I am not going anywhere," Menendez, original sponsor of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act and other anti-Russia legislation, told reporters Friday.

Reports emerged earlier that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was moving ahead with criminal corruption charges against the New Jersey lawmaker.

The DOJ press secretary Peter Carr told Sputnik that he is not in a position to confirm or deny this.

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ., left, gestures as he speaks as ranking member Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., sits right, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, to examine Russia and developments in Ukraine. - Sputnik International
Top Obama Ally Senator Menendez to Face Federal Corruption Charges
"I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law," the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said.

Charges against Menendez revolve around his relationship with Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen.

According to the US government watchdog Center for Responsive Politics, Melgen contributed $700,000 to Menendez's 2012 US Senate race through an intermediary campaign funding channel. The senator also allegedly received gifts and multiple trips on Melgen's private jet.

Menendez's office said that Melgen is one of the senator's "closest personal friends," and that the office would not respond to anonymous allegations about that relationship.

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