Sen. Menendez bribery trial starts with judge scolding lawyers on ‘gamesmanship’

A
judge
on
Monday
admonished
attorneys
about
playing
legal
games
shortly
after
they
convened
for
the
start
of
the
federal
bribery
trial
of
Sen.

Robert
Menendez,
D-N.J.

“There’s
been
too
much
gamesmanship
here,”
Judge
Sidney
Stein
told
prosecutors
and
defense
attorneys
before
jury
selection
began

for
the
trial
in
federal
court
in
Manhattan.

“Everybody
has
to
operate
in
good
faith
here,”
Stein
said,
adding, “I’m
not
sure
I’ve
seen
that.”

Menendez,
70,
wearing
a
dark
suit
and
striped
red
tie
with
his
gold
senator’s
pin
on
his
lapel,
listened
silently
in
the
courtroom.

Two
of
his
co-defendants,
New
Jersey
businessmen
Wael
Hana
and
Fred
Daibes,
sat
behind
him.
Jose
Uribe,
a
third
businessman
who
was
charged
in
the
case,

pleaded
guilty
March
1
and
agreed
to
cooperate
with
prosecutors.

The
judge’s
stern
words
shut
down
an
exchange
about
some
evidence
that
could
be
used
in
the
trial
of
the
once-powerful
senator,
who
is
accused
of
accepting
cash,
gold
bars
and
other
gifts
in
exchange
for
official
acts.

Prosecutors
allege
Menendez
took
hundreds
of
thousands
of
dollars
in
bribes
from
New
Jersey
businessmen
to
benefit
them
and
the
countries
of
Egypt
and
Qatar.

Menendez
was
chairman
of
the
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee
but
stepped
down
from
that
role
following
his
indictment
in
September
2023.

He
has
pleaded
not
guilty
to
16
felony
counts,
including
bribery,
wire
fraud,
extortion,
acting
as
a
foreign
agent
and
obstruction
of
justice.

His
wife,
Nadine
Menendez,
is
also
charged
in
the
corruption
case,
but
her
trial
was
severed
from
her
husband’s
due
to
what
her
lawyers
said
were
medical
issues.
Her
trial
is
delayed
at
least
until
July;
she
was
not
in
court
with
her
husband
Monday
morning.

Prosecutors
from
the
U.S.
Attorney’s
Office
for
the
Southern
District
of
New
York
told
Stein
that
they
expect
to
lay
out
their
case
in
4½
to
6½
weeks.

The
trial
itself
could
last
around
six
to
seven
weeks,
Stein
told
dozens
of
prospective
jurors
before
giving
them
a
rough
outline
of
the
18-count
indictment
against
Menendez
and
his
co-defendants.

The
senator’s
federal
trial
kicked
off
just
a
few
blocks
from
Manhattan
Supreme
Court,
where
former
President

Donald
Trump
is
on
trial
on
charges
related
to
a
scheme
to
silence
porn
star
Stormy
Daniels
with
hush
money
before
the
2016
election.

This
is
developing
news.
Please
check
back
for
updates.