Bob Menendez steps down as US Senate foreign relations chairman after indictment

BBC News:

A veteran US senator has temporarily stepped down as head of the chamber’s powerful foreign relations committee as he battles bribery charges.

Justice department prosecutors allege Robert Menendez and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for aid to Egypt’s government.

The couple have denied the charges.

The embattled senator has rejected calls from fellow Democrats back in his home state of New Jersey to resign his seat.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday that Mr Menendez had decided to step down as chairman of the influential committee “until the matter has been resolved”.

The New York Democrat said his colleague was “a dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey”.