At Sen. Bob Menendez’s federal corruption trial, FBI investigators testified about the senator’s frequent dinners at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Washington DC. During one meal, Nadine Menendez referred to her husband as “the love of my life.” The trial alleges that Menendez, along with businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, engaged in a bribery scheme and acted as foreign agents for the Egyptian government. The trial, now in its fourth week, has included testimony about FBI surveillance and other evidence, such as gold bars seized from the Menendez home and Nadine Menendez’s text messages.
Menendez has expressed confidence in his defense attorneys, who are working to discredit prosecution witnesses through cross-examination. However, prosecutors have argued that just because Menendez had other non-criminal dinners at Morton’s doesn’t mean that some weren’t part of the alleged conspiracy. The trial is ongoing, with the prosecution presenting different threads of the bribery scheme they claim Menendez was involved in. Nadine Menendez will be tried separately this summer.
During the trial, FBI agents testified about their surveillance of Menendez and his companions at Morton’s, with one agent observing the group from a nearby table. The agents developed a cover story as a married couple out on a dinner date to blend in with the upscale restaurant’s clientele. They noticed the senator pouring wine, smoking cigarettes and cigars, and laughing with his dinner companions. Photos were taken as part of their surveillance, but no audio recordings were captured.
One FBI agent testified that they did not observe any behavior from the senator or his companions that suggested they were trying to avoid being photographed or monitored. The agents tried to blend in with the atmosphere of the restaurant to avoid drawing attention to themselves. The trial has painted a picture of extravagant dinners and close relationships between Menendez, his wife, and other individuals involved in the alleged bribery scheme. The prosecution is working to present a strong case against Menendez and his co-defendants, while the defense is trying to discredit the evidence and witnesses presented by the government.
