BREAKING: Senator Bob Menendez found guilty on all counts

New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty on all counts on Tuesday for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Menendez had been charged with 18 counts including bribery, extortion, obstructing justice and acting as an illegal foreign agent. The jury deliberated for around 13 hours over three days.

"It wasn’t enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington," Monteleoni said. "It wasn’t enough for him to be entrusted by the public with the power to approve billions of dollars of US military aid to foreign countries. Robert Menendez wanted all that power — but he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife."

Menendez was indicted in September alongside his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, with the pair being accused of receiving bribes in order to exert influence that benefited the nation of Egypt, as well as three local associates and businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes.

Menendez and his wife "agreed to and did accept hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using Menendez's power and influence as a Senator to seek to protect and enrich Hana, Uribe, and Daibes, and to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt," the DOJ said at the time.

According to ABC News, defense attorney Adam Fee said the government's case was "cherry-picked nonsense" and accused prosecutors of "fudging" facts.

Fee told the jury on July 9, "The only honest verdict I submit here is to acquit him on each count. His actions were lawful, normal and good for the country." Menendez did not testify in his own defense. He told reporters outside the court after the defense rested its case, "From my perspective, the government has failed to prove every aspect of its case."

Menendez has refused to resign, and claimed that he was being targeted because he is Latino American. "Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first generation Latin American from humble beginnings could rise to be a US senator," Menendez said in a statement.