U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) arrives in federal court for his bribery trial related to an alleged corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen on June 11, 2024 in New York City, United States.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
Defense attorneys on Tuesday tested the credibility of the key witness in the federal corruption trial of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., after he testified that he bribed the embattled lawmaker and his wife.
Witness Jose Uribe was one of three New Jersey businessmen originally charged in the case, along with Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez.
Uribe turned around in early March, pleading guilty and agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors in hopes of avoiding prison time if convicted of his crimes, which carry a maximum sentence of 95 years in prison.
In his direct testimony on the witness stand in New York federal court, Uribe said that in 2019 he paid for a Mercedes-Benz convertible for Nadine, Menendez’s then-girlfriend, in exchange for the senator’s influence.
Prosecutors accuse Menendez of attempting to interfere with a New Jersey state criminal investigation involving Uribe’s associates.
“That was my promise to her so that she could get the car and keep the deal,” Uribe testified Monday.
During cross-examination Tuesday, a lawyer for Menendez co-defendant Wael Hana tried to undermine Uribe’s testimony, NBC News reported.
Lawyer Ricardo Solano asked Uribe if it was “fair to say that when you’re in trouble you lie to get away scot-free?”
Uribe responded, “I have lied in the past,” adding that he had taken what he said were “necessary steps to protect my family.”
Solano got to the point: “Does that include lying?”
Uribe said it was so. “I have done this in the past to protect my family,” he said.
Uribe pleaded guilty March 1 to seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud and obstruction of justice.
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The senior US senator, 70, and his wife are accused of illegally accepting cash, gold bars and other gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for official acts.
Menendez, Hana and Fred Daibes, another New Jersey businessman, are being tried together in federal court in Lower Manhattan. Nadine Menendez’s trial was postponed until July for medical reasons; The senator revealed during the trial that his wife was suffering from breast cancer.
Menendez’s lawyers have tried to pin the blame on Nadine Menendez, saying she “got rid of” the senator because of her money problems. His attorney, Avi Weitzman, noted in his opening statement that gold bars were found in “Nadine’s closet.”
Menendez, who has been denounced by some of his Democratic colleagues, has filed for re-election as an independent candidate.
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2024-06-11 22:31:33
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