Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) announced on Wednesday that he will not take the stand in his ongoing federal bribery and corruption trial, citing prosecutors’ failure to prove their case against him. The Democratic senator believes that testifying would be futile and would only serve to benefit the prosecution.
“I don’t think it would make any sense to give them another chance to present their case,” Menendez said. “I’m confident that my lawyers will deliver a powerful closing argument and demonstrate how the prosecution has failed to prove their claims.”
Defense lawyers have rested their case, and closing arguments are expected to begin as early as Monday. The defense has been working to counter the prosecution’s extensive evidence and testimony, which has portrayed Menendez as a corrupt politician who used his position to secure bribes and favors.
The government has presented a sweeping case against Menendez, alleging that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, a convertible, and 13 gold bars in exchange for influencing official actions. Menendez, 70, has denied all charges and is facing trial alongside his wife, Nadine, who has had her court date postponed while she recovers from breast cancer.
Menendez’s sister, Caridad Gonzalez, testified earlier this week in an attempt to explain the presence of large sums of cash in her brother’s home. Gonzalez claimed that storing cash at home is a “Cuban thing” due to a lack of trust in banks and the government. She also recounted her family’s history of fleeing Cuba and the importance of secrecy and self-reliance.
Gonzalez’s testimony highlighted the cultural significance of hoarding cash and precious items in Cuban-American communities.
