Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Thursday did not rule out the possibility of taking the witness stand in his upcoming bribery trial next week in New York.
The trial is set to begin with jury selection on Monday in the U.S. District Court in Lower Manhattan.
In an interview with CBS News’ Nikole Killion in the halls of Congress, Menendez said he plans to be present in court for all days of the trial “subject to the schedule.”
When asked if he plans to take the witness stand, Menendez replied, “That’s to be determined.”
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) told CBS News’ @NikolenDC that he’s ready for his federal corruption trial next week involving an alleged bribery scheme. When asked about his case and recent bribery charges against a fellow Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Menendez said:… pic.twitter.com/o0RRwNKMLU
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 9, 2024
Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were first charged in September 2023 for accepting bribes, including cash and gold bars, in exchange for the senator using his official position “to seek to protect and enrich” three New Jersey businessmen and benefit the government of Egypt.
Menendez, at the time, chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but stepped down following his indictment in the case. The three businessmen, Will Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, were also charged with taking part in the bribery scheme.
In superseding indictments, Menendez was charged with acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, using his political power to aid the government of Qatar, and obstructing justice for lying to federal prosecutors.
Menendez, his wife, Hana, and Daibes have pleaded not guilty. In March, Uribe reached a plea deal with prosecutors, agreeing to testify in the trial and cooperate in the case.
Nadine Menendez will face trial separately from her husband later in the summer due to a “serious medical condition” raised by her lawyers.
Court documents unsealed last month signaled that the senator may be prepared to blame his wife, saying she withheld information or “otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place.”
Asked by CBS News if he felt like he was treated differently to fellow Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas), who was indicted along with his wife on bribery charges but has not been pressured by his colleagues to resign, Menendez said: “Everybody’s innocent until proven guilty. That’s my view. For Congressman Cuellar, it’s the same.”
The senator, who refused to resign from the upper chamber before the end of his term despite the multiple indictments against him, announced he wouldn’t run in his state’s Democratic primary on June 4.
In March, he said, “I am hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election.”
