U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) walks to the Senate floor for a procedural vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. September 20, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has tapped Abbe Lowell, the same attorney defending Hunter Biden against his tax and firearm charges, to represent him in his federal bribery case, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said.
In addition to representing President Joe Biden’s son, Lowell has a storied track record with high-profile litigation, including Menendez’s past corruption charges.
The Democratic senator also hired Lowell when he was charged in 2015 for allegedly accepting illegal gifts from a Florida ophthalmologist. That case was eventually dropped due to a deadlocked jury.
Lowell was the attorney who in 2022 got Matthew Grimes, an employee of former President Donald Trump’s longtime supporter Tom Barrack, acquitted. Grimes, Barrack and others had been charged with secretly acting as foreign agents for the United Arab Emirates.
Lowell has also represented Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former advisor. During Trump’s presidency, he helped Kushner get official approval for permanent White House security clearance.
Lowell’s hiring by Menendez was first reported by Law360.
Abbe Lowell arrives for the funeral of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at the Washington National Cathedral on September 1, 2018.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Both Lowell and Sen. Menendez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Menendez is expected to hold a press conference on Monday in Hudson County, New Jersey, where he began his political career, a source directly involved with the planning told NBC News.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were indicted Friday in Manhattan federal court for allegedly using his political influence to aid the Egyptian government in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal gifts.
The senator and his wife are facing three counts: Conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Three New Jersey businessmen allegedly involved in the bribery transactions have also been charged with the first two counts.
At Monday’s press conference, Menendez is expected to say he does not intend to resign, according to the source helping plan the event. That comes after a slew of government officials, including his fellow Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, publicly called on Menendez to step down.
He has been defiant in response to those demands, denying all charges and saying, “I am not going anywhere.”
The senator, his wife and their co-defendants are scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday morning.
