Senator Michael Testa and Senate Minority Leader Anthony M. Bucco issued the following statements in response to a recent article highlighting a potential connection between Senator Bob Menendez’s role as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment and the appointment of former New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal as Director of Enforcement for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2021. The article also named Gubir Grewal’s cousin, Balpreet Grewal-Virk, as someone with very close ties to Senator Menendez, which included substantial campaign and political action committee contributions.

“Growing concern that Senator Menendez used his influence to propel former Attorney General Grewal into his current post at the SEC is all the more reason that the Senate Judiciary Committee must immediately launch an investigation into the Senator’s contacts with the Office of Attorney General, like my Senate Republican colleagues and I have been calling for,” said Testa (R-1). “As details about this case unfold, the reported linkage between Menendez and the Grewal family raises serious questions that demand action from the Legislature. Only through a comprehensive investigation can we restore confidence in our public institutions.”

According to the recent federal indictment of Senator Menendez, a “senior state prosecutor” in New Jersey was allegedly pressured to interfere with pending criminal matters in furtherance of the Senator’s bribery scheme. Media reports have identified Grewal as that senior state prosecutor.

“In light of recent revelations, there is a growing need for an independent investigation to begin sooner rather than later. The matter is particularly time-sensitive because preservation letters need to be issued to the Attorney General’s Office as soon as possible. This will ensure that all documents and communications are preserved and that the Senate Judiciary Committee has full access to all relevant evidence,” said Bucco (R-25). “New Jerseyans deserve answers to the many questions that are being raised about Senator Menendez and the Attorney General’s Office. Only a proper independent investigation can reveal the truth about whether the Attorney General’s Office acted appropriately in this matter.”