Several sitting senators, including a couple rumored to be in the running for the Republican vice presidential nomination, have announced that they are among the prominent figures who could be called as witnesses in the ongoing corruption trial of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. Potential jurors were told they were among a long list. on tuesday.
As the trial entered its second day of jury selection with no jurors selected, U.S. Judge Sidney H. Stein told potential jurors that several current and former members of Congress and White House officials would He said he may or may not be a witness in the case. He spent much of Monday questioning prospective jurors.
“You may see them or hear their names, but I want to know if you have a connection to any of these people,” Stein said.
The list also included former President Barack Obama’s former political strategist David Axelrod. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. Sen. Cory Booker, DN.J. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware. Congressman Dan Goldman, New York. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Former Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont. Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Mike Pompeo, former US Secretary of State. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. Sen. Tim Scott, RS.C. Sen. Krysten Sinema, Arizona. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland).
Once a jury has been selected, the case proceeds to the beginning of arguments.
United States vs. Menendez: Democratic senator’s corruption trial begins after unexpected delay
Sen. Bob Menendez (DN.J.) is facing federal corruption charges. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
the jury is expected to decide whether there is evidence The indictment against Mr. Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen, Fred Dybes and Wael Hana, alleges that they participated in a bribery scheme that included interference in criminal investigations and acts benefiting the Egyptian and Qatari governments. It shows that
All three have maintained their innocence. Co-defendant Jose Uribe pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The trial of the senator’s wife Nadine, who is also charged and has pleaded not guilty, has been postponed until at least July for health reasons.
This is the second time in a decade that Menendez has been charged in a federal corruption case.
Co-defendant in Bob Menendez corruption case cooperates with investigators and pleads guilty to seven charges
Menendez has already been ousted from one of the Senate’s most powerful posts, with his career and life at risk in a federal criminal case for the second time in a decade. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Menendez was charged by federal prosecutors with obstruction of justice in a separate superseding indictment unsealed in March related to the multi-year allegations. bribery scheme The governments of Egypt and Qatar are involved.
The 18-page indictment consolidates Menendez’s existing charges of acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his power and influence as a senator. ing.
Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez faces bribery charges
Wael Hana (center) leaves a federal courthouse in New York on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
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Mr. Menendez, his wife, and three New Jersey businessmen were first indicted in the federal bribery scheme on September 23.
