A dozen jurors and six alternate candidates were chosen Wednesday and began hearing opening statements in the high-profile federal corruption trial of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. Opening statements are expected to last up to three hours in total, and prosecutor Lara Pomerantz was allotted 45 minutes.
U.S. Judge Sidney H. Stein told jurors: “use your common sense, use your life experience, use your good judgment.”
The juries will determine if there is evidence against Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, shows a bribery scheme that allegedly involved meddling in criminal investigations and taking actions to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
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Senator Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine Menendez leave a Manhattan courtroom after being arraigned on federal bribery charges in New York, United States, on September 27, 2023. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Menendez “put his power up for sale” while helping the Egyptian government and trying to sweep criminal cases under the rug in exchange for 22 gold bars, jewelry, cash and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, according to initial statements from the prosecutor, the New York Times reported.
Menendez’s defense attorney, Avi Weitzman, will have about an hour, while attorneys for Hana and Daibes are each expected to speak for about 30 minutes during opening arguments.
In his opening statements, Weitzman described Menendez as “an American patriot,” dismissing the claim that he is a “foreign agent,” as prosecutors allege, according to The Times.
The three alleged conspirators pleaded not guilty, but co-defendant Jose Uribe pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The trial of the senator’s wife, Nadine, who is also accused and has pleaded not guilty, is delayed until at least July for health reasons.
This is the second time in a decade that Menéndez has been charged in a federal corruption case.
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Wael Hana, center, leaves federal court in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Hana is a co-defendant with Robert Menendez.
On Tuesday, the judge told potential jurors that several sitting U.S. senators (including a pair rumored to be under consideration for the GOP vice presidential nomination) are among a long list of prominent people who could be summoned as witnesses.
The list included: David Axelrod, former political strategist for the former president. Barack Obama; Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware; Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C.; Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; former Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont; former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin; former United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo; Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida; Sen. Tim Scott, R.S.C.; Sen. Kristen Sinema, I-Ariz.; and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
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Senator Bob Menendez enters the federal courthouse in Manhattan on March 11, 2024. (FoxNews)
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Fox News’ Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report.
