Senator Robert Menendez is facing bribery charges, and his lawyer is placing the blame squarely on his wife, Nadine Menendez. The lawyer claimed that Nadine kept her husband in the dark about her dire finances and the source of her newfound income, including the cash and gold found in their home. The lawyer described Mr. Menendez as an American patriot and lifelong public servant who took no bribes. Prosecutors allege that the senator and his wife accepted gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for political favors for friends at home and foreign governments.
The trial in Manhattan is the second bribery trial for Senator Menendez, who was able to walk away largely unscathed from the first trial that ended in a hung jury. However, the new charges from a federal grand jury in Manhattan are likely to end the senator’s three-decade career in Congress. Prosecutors painted Senator Menendez as a high-ranking elected official who put his power up for sale, engaging in politics for profit. The trial promises to offer a rare look at the inner workings of government and the private life of one of the nation’s most powerful elected officials, offering wildly clashing portraits of Senator Menendez.
The indictment charges Nadine Menendez as a go-between who acted as a conduit for bribes and messages. Her trial was postponed due to a serious medical condition that required surgery and a potentially long recovery period. As she cannot be compelled to testify against her husband, it is unlikely that she will testify at Mr. Menendez’s trial. The couple did not share a bank account or a cellphone plan, and spent much of the week living apart while the senator was in Washington. The senator was portrayed as being enchanted by his wife, who has a master’s degree in French and speaks four languages.
Senator Menendez is being tried with two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, who prosecutors say benefited from the scheme and helped funnel bribes to the couple. The senator, his wife, Mr. Hana, and Mr. Daibes have all pleaded not guilty to the charges. The charges against Senator Menendez have raised calls for his resignation from staunch supporters, and the trial is expected to last nearly two months. Prosecutors plan to present witness testimony from individuals involved in the bribery scheme, as well as display the cash and gold bullion found in the Menendezes’ home.
The indictment outlines an array of schemes in which Senator Menendez is accused of steering weapons and aid to Egypt, interfering with criminal investigations involving his associates, and helping Mr. Hana’s business win a lucrative monopoly in Egypt. Senator Menendez is portrayed as being motivated by greed and focused on enriching himself and his wife. The prosecutor told the jury that the senator was on the take, driven by how much money he could pocket. The defense attempted to explain the large sums of cash found in the senator’s house as a result of his Cuban immigrant parents’ tradition of withdrawing money.
Mr. Menendez has maintained his innocence throughout, stating that he would be exonerated and leaving open the possibility of running for re-election as an independent. The indictment includes charges related to the senator’s stockpiling of money, which his lawyers attempted to link to psychological trauma related to his father’s suicide and his family’s history of confiscated property in Cuba. The jury chosen for the trial consists of six men and six women, with several members possessing advanced degrees. The trial is expected to provide insight into the inner workings of government and the personal life of a powerful elected official.
