Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is currently facing his second federal corruption trial in a decade, with jury selection beginning in Manhattan federal court. The charges allege that he accepted bribes from three wealthy businessmen in New Jersey, including meddling in criminal investigations and acting to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez, along with two of the businessmen, have pleaded not guilty, while another has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify. Menendez announced he will not seek reelection on the Democratic ticket this fall, potentially causing challenges for Democrats with a Senate majority in New Jersey.
Following the charges in September, Menendez was removed from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This is not the first time Menendez has faced legal troubles, as he was indicted in 2015 involving a wealthy Florida eye doctor who allegedly bought his influence through luxury vacations and campaign contributions. Despite the charges, Menendez denied wrongdoing and remained in the Senate, later marrying Nadine Menendez in 2020. Federal prosecutors found gold bars and cash in his home during a raid two years ago, but Menendez has refused to resign and remains in the Senate, despite calls for his resignation.
In the current case, Menendez faces charges including bribery, extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. Despite Democrats urging him to resign, Menendez has maintained his innocence and plans to prove it in court, even as additional charges were brought against him in March for obstruction of the investigation. His defense will argue that his wife, Nadine, was the conduit for the bribes and kept him in the dark about some of the dealings with the businessmen. The indictment details how Menendez allegedly helped the businessmen with deals involving Qatari and Egyptian officials in exchange for bribes.
One of the businessmen, Uribe, pleaded guilty and admitted to buying Menendez’s wife a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for help influencing criminal investigations. The judge in the case rejected Menendez’s claim of legislative immunity and has yet to rule on whether the defense can call a psychiatrist to explain Menendez’s habits of storing cash at home due to family stories of financial struggles in Cuba and his father’s gambling problems. The trial is ongoing, and Menendez remains in the Senate despite the accusations against him and calls for his resignation. Democrats have distanced themselves from him, with some already launching campaigns for his seat. Menendez continues to claim his innocence and vows to fight the charges in court.
