Defense Rests in Sen. Bob Menendez Bribery Trial Without His Testimony

The defense for Senator Bob Menendez concluded on Wednesday without the New Jersey Democrat taking the stand in his New York bribery trial. Menendez’s lawyers called several witnesses over two days, attempting to counteract seven weeks of testimony and hundreds of pieces of evidence presented by Manhattan federal prosecutors.

Menendez, 70, maintains his innocence against charges alleging he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold and cash from 2018 through 2022 in exchange for using his Senate influence to benefit three New Jersey businessmen. Two of these businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, are on trial alongside him, while the third, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified against them.

Daibes and Hana also pleaded not guilty and were given the opportunity to present a defense, although Judge Sidney H. Stein reminded jurors that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution, and the defense is not mandatory. Lawyers for Daibes rested simultaneously with Menendez without presenting a defense, while Hana’s defense team began their presentation.

Prosecutors spent seven weeks building their case before resting last Friday. They presented evidence suggesting that Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, acted as an intermediary to connect the senator with the businessmen. Nadine Menendez, 57, who started dating the senator in 2018, has pleaded not guilty to related charges, but her trial has been postponed as she recovers from breast cancer surgery.

Bob Menendez’s defense team argued that his wife concealed her financial struggles from him, including difficulties making mortgage payments on her Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey home, and many of her dealings with the businessmen. They also claimed she inherited the gold found during a 2022 FBI raid on their home.

During the trial, an FBI agent testified that he ordered the seizure of over $486,000 in cash and more than $100,000 in gold bars found in the Menendez home because he suspected criminal activity.

Among the witnesses called by Menendez’s lawyers was his sister, Caridad Gonzalez, 80, who testified that their family has a history of storing large amounts of cash at home, a habit dating back to when Menendez’s parents fled Cuba in 1951 with money hidden in a secret compartment of a grandfather clock. “It’s normal. It’s a Cuban thing,” she explained.

Menendez, born after his family’s arrival in Manhattan, has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. Since the charges were announced in September, he was ousted from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Despite calls for his resignation from the Senate, Menendez has resisted and recently filed papers to run for reelection as an independent.

Prosecutors accuse Daibes of delivering gold bars and cash to Menendez and his wife in exchange for the senator’s assistance with a multimillion-dollar deal involving a Qatari investment fund, which allegedly led Menendez to act favorably towards Qatar’s government. They also claim Menendez received bribes from Hana to benefit Egyptian officials, enabling Hana to secure a lucrative deal with the Egyptian government to certify imported meat met Islamic dietary standards.

This trial follows a previous corruption case against Menendez on unrelated charges that ended with a deadlocked jury in 2017.

Why This Matters: This trial is significant as it involves a high-ranking U.S. senator accused of leveraging his political power for personal gain, highlighting ongoing concerns about corruption and ethics in government.

Key Takeaways

• Sen. Bob Menendez’s defense concluded without his testimony.

• Prosecutors presented seven weeks of evidence against Menendez.

• Menendez and his co-defendants maintain their innocence.

• Menendez’s wife allegedly acted as an intermediary in the bribery scheme.

• Menendez faces multiple charges, including bribery and acting as a foreign agent.