He praises them.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez said he was relying on his faith on Friday as he left a Manhattan federal courthouse, where jurors in his high-stakes bribery trial had deliberated for three hours without reaching a verdict.
“I have faith in God and in the jury,” the embattled Democrat said in English and Spanish before climbing into a waiting black Lincoln sedan.
A hearing panel of six men and six women began meeting inside the courthouse just after 2 p.m. to consider whether Menendez, 70, should be found guilty of accepting bribes as part of a larger scheme to rake in gold bars, cash and other treasures while catering to the whims of three New York businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
The jury retired just after 5 p.m. and is expected to resume deliberations Monday morning.
The senator, who has been spotted belting out show tunes to relieve tension in court, is accused of using his powerful position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to interfere in state and federal investigations, protect a shady halal meat monopoly and act as an illegal foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar while bribing him and his wife with businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe.
Jurors are considering whether to convict the defendants on 16 felony counts, including bribery, extortion and obstruction of justice.
The main charges he faces could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Hana, 40, and Daibes, 64, are also charged with part of the bribery scheme.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, 57, also faces charges, but her case has been separated from that of her husband and postponed until later this year while she recovers from breast cancer.
Uribe, a notorious insurance broker who was convicted of fraud, pleaded guilty earlier this year and testified at his trial that he bought Senator Nadine a new Mercedes in exchange for her promising to intervene in a state criminal investigation into his aides.
Menendez has refused to resign from his Senate seat and continues to maintain his innocence.
His lawyers asserted a “wife-blaming” defense, arguing that Nadine gave him no notice about Hana, Daibes and Uribe soliciting bribes.
Lawyers for Messrs. Deibes and Hana argue that the cash and gold bars were “gifts” and not illegal bribes.
