Jury Selection Begins in Menendez Corruption Trial

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Facts

• The criminal trial of US Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) began Monday in Manhattan federal court with jury selection.¹
• Menendez is charged with accepting bribes of cash, gold bars, and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen — leading the senator to take actions benefiting the governments of Egypt and Qatar.²
• Two businessmen — Fred Daibes and Wael Hana — have pleaded not guilty alongside Menendez, while the third has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The Democrat's wife, Nadine, is also being charged but her trial has been postponed until at least July.³
• Menendez is facing 16 charges across three indictments that outline a yearslong scheme that involved him and his wife providing 'highly sensitive' information to Egypt, as well as the senator praising the Qatari government to help Daibes secure a deal with a Qatari investor.⁴
• Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday.⁵
• A three-term senator, Menendez says he won’t run for re-election as a Democrat, although he's floated a potential independent candidacy. A previous, unrelated Menendez criminal trial in 2017 ended with a deadlocked jury.⁶

Sources: ¹NBC, ²NBC New York, ³Associated Press, ⁴CBS, ⁵ABC News and ⁶PBS NewsHour.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by New York Post. Menendez is the poster child of corruption and an utter disgrace to the Senate. It's unfathomable that he's retained his job in what could only be explained as a political favor from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Politicians on both sides of the political aisle have called for his resignation, and the American people deserve someone better than a Senator who's been bought off by foreign governments.
• Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. Menendez has the right of any US citizen to defend himself from the charges against him. The senator has consistently maintained he never accepted bribes. Political forces are quick to assume guilt, but that's not how the American judicial system operates and Menendez is innocent until proven guilty.

Predictions