New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has been found guilty on all 18 counts in his federal bribery and corruption trial.
A court officer sent a short note to media outlets saying a verdict has been reached and “the verdict will be announced shortly.”
At closings on Wednesday, Menendez’s lawyer cited patriotism as a reason to acquit his client, telling a federal jury that it would be a “win for this country” if it rejects the government’s bribery case against the Democrat.
“This case, it dies here today,” attorney Adam Fee told the Manhattan federal court jury as it heard closing arguments for a third day.
When Fee finished his closing, Menendez shook his hand. As Menendez left the courthouse, the senator told reporters: “We have stripped away the government’s false narratives and exposed their lies.”
Fee said the government had failed to prove “that Bob’s actions were anything other than what we want our elected officials to do.”
“He was doing his job. He was doing it well,” Fee added.
The attorney warned jurors to resist the temptation to embrace the government’s “salacious story about a corrupt politician, because it’s not there.”
Then, as he finished his argument, he made an acquittal sound patriotic, telling the jury “the United States wins when thin cases brought by overzealous prosecutors are rejected.”
“That,” Fee added, “will be a win for this country.”
Prosecutors finished their closing arguments in the corruption trial against the New Jersey senator, telling jurors they should convict Menendez for taking bribes. But the defense attorneys pushed back, saying prosecutors never actually showed any evidence that Menendez ever accepted any cash or gold. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst reports.
Menendez, 70, had pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from 2018 to 2022 from three New Jersey businessmen and agreed to take official actions that would benefit their interests, including financially.
The New Jersey senator is on trial with two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, who also have pleaded not guilty. Daibes is a prominent New Jersey real estate developer while Hana obtained a monopoly to certify that meat exported to Egypt complied with Islamic rules.
A third businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified against the others during the trial. A trial for the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, 57, has been postponed while she recovers from breast cancer surgery. She also has pleaded not guilty in the bribery case.
A bombshell day in the bribery trial of Sen. Bob Menendez when a star witness took the stand. News 4’s Jonathan Dienst reports.
