Catherine Rusoff
washington – Prosecutors trying to prove that New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez exerted his political influence in exchange for bribes cannot show jurors evidence they argue is “critical” to the case, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein said prosecutors could not use 2019 text messages that allegedly show Menendez, who was the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assuring Egypt and New York businessmen Jersey who allegedly bribed him not to delay military aid to the country after Egypt heard it had been put on hold.
The jury also cannot see another text from 2022 in which the senator’s wife, Nadine, allegedly told one of the managers that “Bob had to sign this.” The text included a link about two pending foreign military sales to Egypt, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors argued last week that Egypt was “frantic about not getting its money’s worth,” which is why they contacted Menendez through two of the New Jersey businessmen who allegedly gave the senator money, gold barsand other things of value. The text involving Menendez’s wife signaled: “You keep the bribes flowing and he will keep giving you what you want in military aid,” prosecutor Paul Monteleoni told Stein before the ruling.
But Stein ruled the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which protects lawmakers from prosecution for official legislative acts, applied to the evidence.
“The main legislative act is clearly to suspend or release the suspension. I don’t think it matters that there was misinformation here,” Stein said Tuesday, before making his decision official in an order later in the week.
Such an interpretation would prohibit “some of the most critical evidence,” countered Monteleoni.
While the ruling could complicate prosecutors’ case against Menendez regarding Egypt and military aid, the senator also faces a series of other accusations.
The corruption trial entered its third week on Tuesday and could last until early July. Jurors heard from some witnesses, including an FBI agent who led the search of senator’s home in New Jersey in June 2022, an agricultural attaché who questioned Egypt about granting the halal certification monopoly to one of the New Jersey businessmen, and a lawyer who worked for the halal company and testified about a payment of US$23,568.54 made to a creditor of Menendez’s wife to save your home from foreclosure.
mae png
giga loterias
uol pro mail
pro brazilian
camisas growth
700 euro em reais
