Bob Menendez enters not guilty plea to new conspiracy charge

US Senator Bob Menendez returned to court Monday and entered a not guilty plea to a charge alleging that he conspired to act as an agent of the Egyptian government when he led the Senate foreign relations committee.

Mr Menendez, 69, made the plea during his first appearance before Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan federal court.

"The government’s latest charge flies in the face of my long record of standing up for human rights and democracy in Egypt and in challenging leaders of that country, including President [Abdel Fattah] El Sisi on these issues," he said in a statement after the hearing.

"Anyone who knows my record knows this latest charge is as outrageous as it is absurd.

“I have been, throughout my life, loyal to only one country – the United States of America, the land my family chose to live in democracy and freedom."

Mr Stein is expected to preside over a trial tentatively scheduled for May.

The judge said the plea was the sole purpose for the hearing and adjourned the preceding after about five minutes.

Mr Menendez said: "I have done nothing wrong and once all the facts are presented will be found innocent.”

The New Jersey Democrat stepped down from his powerful post leading the Senate committee after he was charged last month.

Prosecutors said he and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car over the past five years from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for a variety of corrupt acts.

The other defendants entered not guilty charges to a superseding indictment last week.

Mr Menendez was allowed to delay his arraignment so he could tend to Senate duties.

He has resisted calls from more than 30 Democrats to resign.

The rewritten indictment added a charge alleging that the senator, his wife and one of the businessmen conspired to have him act as an agent of the government of Egypt and Egyptian officials.

As a member of Congress, Mr Menendez is prohibited from acting as an agent for a foreign government.

H,e is accused of passing information to the Egyptians about the staff at the US embassy in Cairo, ghostwriting a letter on Egypt's behalf intended to influence fellow senators, and urging the US State Department to get more involved in international negotiations to block a dam project Egypt opposed, among other things.

Last week, Ms Menendez and a businessman, Wael Hana, pleaded not guilty to the superseding indictment.

Both of them were charged with conspiring with the senator to use him as an agent of the government of Egypt and its officials.

The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

AP contributed to this report