Menendez’s lawyer denies bribery plans, says gold bars belong to his wife

By Holmes Lybrand, Sabrina Souza and Gregory Krieg | CNN

Sen. Bob Menendez’s lawyer presented his defense Wednesday in a Manhattan courtroom, insisting that the New Jersey Democrat never participated in the international bribery scheme described by federal prosecutors and saying there was “innocent explanations” to the tangle of alleged crimes that has already been unraveled. Menendez’s political career.

“They want you to be blinded by gold and silver,” Menendez’s lawyer, Avi Weitzman, told the jury, suggesting that many of the items the senator allegedly accepted as bribes — including gold bars and a luxury car – belonged to or were obtained by him. his wife, Nadine, who is also charged and scheduled for trial in July.

Menendez was accused of acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt and aiding the government of Qatar, while accepting bribes from several New Jersey businessmen. He is on trial with two of his co-defendants: Wael Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman, and Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer. All three have pleaded not guilty. Menendez is not running for re-election in next month’s Democratic primary, but has said he would consider an independent bid if he is exonerated.

At a federal courthouse, just blocks from the site of former President Donald Trump’s secret trial, prosecutor Lara Pomerantz told jurors in her opening statement that they would see evidence and hear testimony about a years-long conspiracy between Menendez, his wife and two New Jersey businessmen to accept bribes while using his power to influence military aid to Egypt and pressure prosecutors and investigators to put an end to investigations and criminal cases.

“Robert Menendez was a U.S. senator on the run,” Pomerantz said. “Driven by greed, focused on how much money he could put in his own and his wife’s pockets. This is why we are here today. This is the purpose of this trial.

Although Nadine Menendez, who also pleaded not guilty, has not yet gone to trial, her alleged actions and influence over her husband have been a key part of the defense’s opening statement. Weitzman repeatedly maintained that the couple had mostly led “separate lives” and “had separate finances.”

“They even had a separate cell phone plan,” he added, before laying out a series of “financial concerns that (Nadine) hid from Bob,” whom Weitzman described as being hit by a “beautiful and great international woman”.

Weitzman also argued that Menendez “acted lawfully” in his role as a U.S. senator, describing the interactions that prosecutors called corrupt as merely diplomatic efforts for the United States and a plea on behalf of his New Jersey constituents – including including some long-time friends.

“You may not like it,” Weitzman said, “but it’s not a crime.”

In explaining the gold bars found in Menendez’s home by investigators, Weitzman again pointed the finger at the senator’s wife, who he said held “the family gold.”

Nadine, Weitzman said, is from Lebanon, where keeping gold is “cultural,” in part because of the region’s historically unstable currencies, while adding that gold and silver gifts are common for weddings. and the engagement.

“The evidence will show that Nadine’s family owned a lot of gold,” Weitzman said, claiming she did not discuss money with the senator and hid her financial problems from him.

Weitzman also said the gold bars were found in Nadine’s locked closet, which the senator did not have access to. To emphasize this point, the defense showed the court a picture of a dressing room, which appeared to be in disarray.

Among the “innocent explanations,” Weitzman suggested there was nothing abnormal about co-defendant Daibes’ fingerprints on envelopes containing tens of thousands of dollars in cash found at the senator’s home, claiming that the two had been friends for decades.

“Would you be surprised,” Weitzman asked, “to find your friend’s fingerprints on one of your things?”

Opening statements from Daibes and Hana will begin Thursday morning.

Jury selection

Opening statements from Pomerantz and Weitzman began Wednesday after 12 jurors and six alternates were sworn in.

During the jury selection process, which lasted nearly three days, the group of potential jurors read a list of more than 100 possible witnesses in the case, ranging from former sitting U.S. senators to several sheikhs and former White House officials, as well as a list of companies and entities, including the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The vast majority of people named on the witness list – which is used to help lawyers and the court reduce the number of jurors – will not be called to testify.

Potential jurors — an array of New Yorkers, including pastors, a comedian and amateur musicians — were pressed on whether they could be impartial and fairly consider testimony from law enforcement officers or convicted criminals.

“I’ve told you before, ladies and gentlemen, how important it is that this case be played before a fair and impartial jury,” federal Judge Sidney Stein told potential jurors Tuesday, saying that means “people who present themselves without any bias” ready to question. apart from “everything about this case”, they heard about it from the media.

“This system will only work if people are fair, honest and impartial,” Stein said.

The initial group of 150 potential jurors was whittled down to fewer than 100 after the initial phase of the selection process, during which people discussed travel plans including a bar mitzvah abroad and a research fellowship in Paris, as well as work and health problems. They were asked if any difficulties would prevent them from participating in a trial that could last more than a month.

One potential juror spoke of being a “news junkie” who couldn’t attend the trial because “I learned a lot about the case.” I knew it was Bob Menendez the second I walked in.

Stein asked if the potential juror could put aside previous knowledge and rely solely on evidence and testimony to decide this case, to which the person responded, “I mean, I think so, but still once, you know, it’s something I read. about.”