Sen. #BobMenendez may point the finger at his wife, newly unsealed documents show
In a mid-March legal filing, Menendez’s legal team tried to keep those exact words under seal because they believed having that defense strategy public would taint the jury pool.
Sen. #BobMenendez may plan to blame his wife for actions that led to a federal #bribery case against him, a newly unsealed court filing suggests.
The senator’s legal team plans to try to show the “absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez’s part” by “demonstrating the ways” in which his wife, Nadine Menendez, “withheld information from Sen. Menendez or otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place.”
[The New York Times-gifted for 30 days]: The Burden of Being Senator Bob Menendez’s Famous Children: Alicia Menendez is a weekend anchor on MSNBC. Her brother, Rob, is a member of Congress. The bribery scandal surrounding their father has cast a long shadow.
Menendez's #Senate seat will be contested in the Nov 5 election, & multiple NJ #Democrats are vying to replace him. The chamber is divided 50-50 between Dems & #Republicans, w/ VP #KamalaHarris able to cast tie-breaking votes for the Dems.
#BobMenendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, & businessmen Wael Hana & Fred Daibes are set to go on #trial on May 6. Nadine #Menendez, Hana & Daibes have also pleaded not guilty.
The charges, returned by a grand jury in #Manhattan, come just 2 months before Mr. Menendez, Ms. Menendez & 2 New Jersey businessmen are scheduled for #trial.
All 4 defendants had pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges & are expected to appear for an arraignment on the new charges soon.
The #indictment comes just days after a 5th defendant, Jose Uribe, a New Jersey businessman, pleaded #guilty to 7 counts, including #obstruction of justice & #conspiracy to commit #bribery, & agreed to cooperate w/the government’s investigation.