Federal prosecutors set out Wednesday to convince jurors that New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez wielded his influence as a veteran Democratic lawmaker in exchange for bribes — including gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a Mercedes convertible.
Wearing a gray suit, pink tie and a senate pin on his lapel, Menendez, 70, sat at the defense table as prosecutors began laying out their case against him during opening statements at his corruption trial in Manhattan federal court.
Prosecutors allege the senator doled out political favors to three businessmen and acted as a foreign agent for the governments of Qatar and Egypt in exchange for bribes.
Trial began Monday with jury selection, in a painstaking process that lasted over two days and saw dozens of prospective jurors excused for bias or scheduling issues from the case that is slated to last through July.
Menendez, of Englewood Cliffs, NJ, took copious notes Wednesday morning as prospective jurors told the judge about their jobs, hobbies and where they get their news from.
The senator looked over his shoulder and eyeballed most of the panelists while they introduced themselves.
Menendez appeared to take particular interest in prospective jurors who expressed Christian devotion, including a pastor from Westchester with degrees in theology and divinity who reads both Qatar-based outlet Al Jazeera and Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.
He also paid close attention as one man explained he’s an adjunct professor in theology at St. John’s University who watches the Simpsons and Seinfeld reruns but doesn’t consume much political news.
The veteran politician also seemed particularly engaged when a man said he was a school social worker who reads his Bible, doesn’t watch the news and said, “I give all my time to my church.”
It was not immediately clear whether these three religious men made it onto the final jury panel as the pool was whittled down during a lightning-fast process, where lawyers from both sides used their strikes in fast succession to dismiss people they felt wouldn’t be fair and impartial decision-makers.
Jury selection wrapped around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday after 12 jurors and six alternates were chosen.
Manhattan federal Judge Sidney Stein previously told the pool of possible jurors that they could hear about or even see testimony from a slew of US politicians including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
This is the second federal corruption and bribery trial that the Garden State senior senator is facing in less than a decade, after he dodged a conviction at a prior criminal trial that ended with a hung jury in 2017.
Menendez — who has been free on $100,000 bail — is being tried alongside co-defendants and New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, whose interests the pol allegedly helped advance for wealth and gifts.
Menendez has denied all the charges and his co-defendants have also pleaded not guilty.
The trial of his wife, Nadine Menendez, was postponed until July due to health reasons.
A third businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the feds.
