By The opinion
Attorneys for Sen. Bob Menendez concluded calling witnesses Wednesday and opted not to have the New Jersey Democrat take the stand in his own defense in the case against him for accepting bribes of gold bullion and cash in exchange for political favors.
As he left the courtroom, Menendez said there was “no point” in his testifying. “In my view, the government has failed to prove all aspects of its case,” he said.
Closing arguments in the trial are expected to occur next week.
Prosecutors have alleged that bribes in the form of gold bullion and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were discovered during a search of Menendez’s home in 2022, “much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe,” according to the indictment.
They also said that the bribes were paid between 2018 and 2022 by three businessmen in exchange for official acts by Menéndez as a senator.
Menendez is being tried with two of the businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, after the third person, José Uribe, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify at the trial as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, also faces charges in the case. Her trial has been postponed while she recovers from breast cancer surgery.
Menendez, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.
The senator resigned as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee shortly after being impeached in September, but has resisted calls for his resignation from the Senate by his fellow Democrats.
Menendez has served in the Senate since 2006. He filed for re-election as an independent last month and is expected to face Rep. Andy Kim, who won the Democratic Senate primary, and Republican nominee Curtis Bashaw in November.
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