Bob Menendez May Point Finger at His Wife During Bribery Trial: Report
UNDER THE BUS
It appears embattled Sen. Bob Menendez may point the finger at his wife as a defense in his upcoming trial on bribery charges, according to an analysis of court records by The New York Times. The newspaper identified two redacted sentences in particular, part of a January brief filed by Menendez’ legal team that they asked be sealed by the judge due to its high likelihood of garnering “significant media attention” that would bias potential jurors. The section in question was unsealed this week, and says that Sen. Menendez will likely share communications between himself and his wife, Nadine at trial. “While these explanations, and the marital communications on which they rely, will tend to exonerate Senator Menendez by demonstrating the absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez's part, they may inculpate Nadine by demonstrating the ways in which she withheld information from Senator Menendez or otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place,” the document reads. The couple have asked the judge to split their cases so that they may face trial separately. They are accused of acting as agents of the Egyptian and Qatari governments in exchange for millions in bribes. Both the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and Sen. Menendez’ lawyers declined to comment when approached by the Times about his legal strategy.