Not a single juror was chosen Monday in the federal corruption case against New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez.
The veteran Democrat — wearing a suit with a red tie and a Senate pin on his lapel — sat quietly in the courtroom, only speaking with his lawyers or reading from time to time, during the first day of trial, which ended with dozens of potential jurors being dismissed.
Manhattan federal Judge Sidney Stein excused over three dozen prospective jurors following three hours questioning them individually with prosecutors and lawyers for the Menendez, 70 — who is charged with accepting gold bars, cash and a Mercedes convertible as bribes.
When the possible panelists were brought in, Stein informed them the trial involves a “sitting US senator from the state of New Jersey” who allegedly agreed “to accept bribes.”
He also told them the trial was slated to last up to seven weeks — until about the Fourth of July — prompting many to raise their hands and inform the judge they couldn’t serve for such a long period of time.
Stein, along with attorneys from both sides, then began questioning the prospective jurors one-by-one behind closed doors for an initial screening.
Menendez was charged alongside his wife Nadine and three businessmen in a sprawling 18-count indictment laying out an alleged bribery scheme from 2018 through 2022.
In exchange for the alleged bribes, the embattled senator doled out political favors for the governments of Egypt and Qatar and for the businessmen: Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe, prosecutors charge.
Hana and Daibes are co-defendants alongside the senior senator, while Nadine’s trial was postponed until July.
Uribe took a guilty plea and is cooperating with the feds.
Menendez dodged a conviction in an unrelated bribery and corruption trial which ended with a hung jury in 2017.
He has denied all the charges. His wife, Hana and Daibes have all also pleaded not guilty.
With Post wires
