Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, sat alone at the defense table on Tuesday as potential jurors who claimed they couldn’t serve at his federal corruption trial in New York were questioned by Judge Sidney H. Stein.
The trial is expected to last until July, and the judge has heard various reasons why individuals believe they should be excused, including medical issues, work conflicts, and travel plans.
Several prospective jurors expressed concern about their ability to be impartial, having already heard a significant amount about the case in which Menendez, 70, is charged with bribery, extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. Despite these concerns, some jurors believed they could still decide the case based on the testimony presented at trial.
Prosecutors allege that Menendez and his wife accepted bribes, including gold bars, cash, and a luxury car, from some New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors. Menendez is on trial alongside two of the businessmen, while a third has pleaded guilty and is expected to testify for the government. Menendez’s wife will face a separate trial in July.
The defendants have all pleaded not guilty to charges that they used Menendez’s power as a senator for their own benefit while showering him with gifts. Following his arrest last fall, Menendez was forced to step down from his influential position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
After serving three terms in the Senate, Menendez has announced that he will not seek reelection on the Democratic ticket this fall, although he has not ruled out running as an independent. This is not the first time Menendez has faced trial; in 2017, a federal jury in New Jersey deadlocked on corruption charges, and prosecutors chose not to retry him.
In the current case, the indictment accuses Menendez of taking actions on behalf of the businessmen that would benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Codefendant Fred Daibes allegedly delivered gold bars and cash to Menendez and his wife to secure the senator’s help in obtaining a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund by acting in ways favorable to Qatar’s government
The indictment also claims that Menendez took actions benefiting Egyptian officials in exchange for bribes from codefendant Wael Hana, who was securing a lucrative deal with the Egyptian government to certify imported meat met Islamic dietary requirements.
Despite the accusations, Menendez insists that he did not do anything unusual in his dealings with foreign officials. As the trial progresses, jurors will have to weigh the evidence presented to determine the senator’s guilt or innocence.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.