Senator Bob Menendez's trial, prosecutor gives closing arguments

2024-07-09 22:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Senator Bob Menendez's trial, prosecutor gives closing arguments

File photo of US Senator Bob Menendez

The prosecutor in the ongoing federal trial of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez on corruption charges said the senator had taken "highly unusual" actions in exchange for bribes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni made the allegations during closing arguments in Senator Menendez's trial in New York.

Mr. Menendez has denied allegations that he took bribes, including gold bullion and hundreds of thousands of dollars, during the period 2018-2022 from three New Jersey businessmen who sought the senator's help with their businesses.

His trial entered the ninth week. Mr. Menendez's lawyer is expected to begin his closing arguments on Tuesday.

Senator Menendez is being tried alongside two businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. The businessman Hana, who prosecutors say enlisted the help of Mr. Menendez to help him win and maintain the monopoly to certify meat exported from the United States to Egypt, and Mr. Daibes, an influential real estate entrepreneur, said they were innocent. A third entrepreneur pleaded guilty and testified at trial.

During Tuesday's hearing, prosecutor Monteleoni described what he called Mr. Menendez's attempts to influence former New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal in early 2019 to drop a criminal case against one of the businessmen who paid the bribes. the false claim that investigators were discriminating against Hispanic truck drivers.

Mr. Grewal, who now heads the law enforcement division of the Securities and Exchange Commission, testified that he had completely opposed Mr. Menendez's efforts to interfere in criminal investigations.

Prosecutor Monteleoni referred to these encounters with Mr. Grewal as examples of things that Mr. Menendez has done that were "highly unusual."

"Menendez is wise. Menendez is careful,” said prosecutor Monteleoni, saying the senator alleged discrimination in the trucking industry and did not bluntly ask for the investigation to be stopped, knowing that such a request would be wrong.

He said the discrimination claims give Mr. Menendez the opportunity to deny allegations if he ever faces them about efforts to pressure the New Jersey attorney general to drop the probe.

In reality, according to prosecutor Monteleoni, Mr. Menendez made these attempts to influence Mr. Grewal in exchange for a new Mercedes-Benz car that the entrepreneurs had promised to give to his then-girlfriend Nadine Arslanian, with whom he married in the fall of 2020.

An indictment was also filed against Mrs. Menendez, 57 years old, in this case, but the trial against her was postponed while she is being treated by an intervention for breast cancer.

Mr. Menendez has resisted calls to resign, but he stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the allegations were made public last year.

He will run again in this year's elections as an independent candidate./ Voa