Defense witnesses in Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial to begin testimony

Washington — In nan eighth week of his bribery trial, lawyers for Sen. Bob Menendez are expected to statesman calling witnesses aft nan prosecution rested its case past week pursuing grounds from 30 witnesses. 

The New Jersey Democrat and his wife, Nadine Menendez — some who person pleaded not blameworthy — are accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars successful cash, golden and different bribes successful speech for governmental favors. 

Menendez's lawyers indicated past week that nan senator's sister and his wife's sister would beryllium among nan first witnesses to attest connected his behalf. 

It's unclear if Menendez aliases nan 2 businessmen connected proceedings pinch him will attest successful their ain defense. The businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, person besides pleaded not guilty. 

Nadine Menendez's proceedings was postponed until later this summertime while she recovers from bosom crab surgery. 

Throughout nan past 7 weeks, nan senator's lawyers person sought to undermine nan credibility of authorities witnesses, trying to sow uncertainty astir really overmuch Menendez knew astir what prosecutors opportunity was a sprawling strategy that began successful 2018. 

Menendez is accused of utilizing his power arsenic nan then-chairman of nan powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee to secretly use Egypt; pressuring a U.S. Department of Agriculture charismatic to protect a legal certification monopoly Egypt granted to Hana; and interfering successful criminal cases successful New Jersey involving Daibes and different businessman Jose Uribe. 

Uribe, a erstwhile security broker, pleaded blameworthy to trying to bribe nan legislator and was nan government's prima witness, testifying that he bought a Mercedes-Benz convertible for Menendez's woman successful speech for nan senator's "power and influence" to extremity investigations related to his business associates. 

Uribe told jurors that he had respective conversations pinch Menendez astir nan investigations, but they ne'er discussed nan car aliases really it was paid for. He said he assumed nan senator's woman had kept him informed of nan deal. 

Prosecutors person alleged nan legislator utilized his woman arsenic a go-between for nan bribes. 

But Menendez's lawyers person insisted that Nadine Menendez kept him successful nan dark astir her activities, telling jurors that he had nary cardinal to her locked closet wherever golden bars and immoderate of nan rate was recovered successful their Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, location during an FBI hunt successful June 2022. Menendez, who moved into his wife's longtime home, was besides unaware that she was struggling financially, according to his lawyers.

Prosecutors asserted that it's inaccurate to represent nan legislator and his woman arsenic surviving abstracted lives, introducing grounds that showed Menendez regularly checked successful connected her location utilizing nan "Find My Friends" iPhone app, arsenic good arsenic matter messages astir Nadine Menendez moving errands for nan legislator and doing laundry. 

After jurors were dismissed for nan time connected Thursday, prosecutors and defense lawyers based on to nan judge astir whether specifications from Nadine Menendez's narration pinch an ex-boyfriend could beryllium utilized successful court. 

The senator's lawyers said nan narration was abusive and making jurors alert of that would supply discourse to immoderate of nan grounds they've already seen. But nan judge said he would limit what they tin hear. 

"There tin beryllium immoderate grounds that location was an rumor pinch a fellow concerning beingness safety," U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein told lawyers, adding "this is not going to move into a soap opera." Stein indicated he would let Menendez's attorneys to found location was an ex-boyfriend and Nadine Menendez "was concerned astir nan ex-boyfriend, that was nan logic they sewage this phone," nan 1 that Sen. Menendez was utilizing to cheque connected her location.

In May, Stein ruled that a psychiatrist who evaluated Menendez would not beryllium allowed to attest astir "two important traumatic events" successful his life that his lawyers opportunity explicate nan hundreds of thousands successful rate investigators recovered successful his home. Stein said he would let constricted grounds from a certified nationalist accountant astir nan senator's financial records. 

In:
• Bob Menendez
• New Jersey
• Corruption
• Bribery
• Trial