Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) won’t let bribery charges drive him from office. Federal agents allegedly have found $480,000 in cash stuffed in envelops and hidden in clothing, plus two 1-kilogram gold bars and nine 1-ounce gold bars in a June 20 search of his home.

“The allegations leveled against me are just that: Allegations,” he said Monday in a Capitol Hill press conference, The Hill reports. Menendez claims he keeps cash like that at home for “emergencies,” and said he expect to be found not guilty of the allegations and will remain New Jersey’s senior U.S. senator through it all.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is Menendez’s first colleague to call for him to step down, retorted: “We have an extra flashlight for any home emergencies.” 

Fetterman’s 2022 Senate campaign received $5,000 in donations from Menendez, but his spokesperson said he would return the money via envelops stuffed with $100 bills, Forbes reports.

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Scroll down with the far-right trackbar to read about a bill introduced in the Pennsylvania state senate to ban book bans in schools and public libraries. 

Also, read about how Washington Post columnist David Ignatius shook D.C. by callin on President Biden to step down after one term.

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