New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez facing federal criminal investigation

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is under federal criminal investigation in Manhattan, a spokesman for the senator confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday.

"Sen. Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation," Michael Soliman, an adviser to Menendez, said in a statement. "As always, should any official inquires be made, the senator is available to provide any assistance that is requested of him or his office."

Menendez became a senator in 2006, and is up for re-election in 2024. In 2015, Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges, accused of illegally accepting favors from a Florida ophthalmologist, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions. When jurors couldn't reach a unanimous verdict, the case ended in a mistrial, and federal prosecutors decided in 2018 not to retry Menendez.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.