The trial of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez — charged with 16 felony counts, including accepting bribes from foreign governments in the form of gold bars, a new car and cash — commenced Wednesday.
The one-time chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez allegedly worked on behalf of the Egyptian and Qatari governments, exchanging government secrets for a new Mercedes-Benz for his wife and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars, which federal investigators found stitched into jackets and stuffed in safe deposit boxes. The Democratic senator is also accused of accepting bribes from businessmen, including Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, two codefendants in his case, in exchange for personal favors.
