A day after a federal grand jury indicted New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez on corruption charges, the Democrat pleaded not guilty to all 14 counts, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The 61-year-old politician was released on his own recognizance but had to surrender his personal passport, the newspaper detailed. He was allowed to retain his official travel document even though he informed Minority Leader Harry Reid he was temporarily relinquishing his role as ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

At a Wednesday press conference, Menendez said that he had done nothing wrong and planned to fight the charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, which accuses him of having accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and contributions in exchange for favors granted to a Florida eye doctor.

"I'm outraged that prosecutors at the Justice Department were tricked into starting this investigation three years ago with false allegations by those who have a political motive to silence me, but I will not be silenced," the senator noted. "I'm confident (that) at the end of the day, I will be vindicated and they will be exposed," he added.

In a letter he sent to Reid on Tuesday, Menendez insisted his decision to step down as ranking member of the prestigious committee was temporary and that "there is no caucus rule that dictates I do so." The New Jersey lawmaker further emphasized that he expected to retain his "membership and seniority" on the panel.

Reid, a fellow Democrat from Utah, said in a statement that he appreciated Menendez's willingness to relinquish his post while charges against him are pending.

"Our justice system is premised on the principle of innocent until proven guilty, and Senator Menendez should not be judged until he has his day in court," the minority leader insisted.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, seen as a likely contender in the 2016 White House race, said that he had not reviewed the charges again Menendez and that he had not given any thought to possible changes concerning his Senate seat, the Wall Street Journal noted.

"Everybody deserves the presumption of innocence, and there's no reason for me or anybody else to get out ahead of themselves," the Republican governor said.