Sen. Bob Menendez buoyed by testimony of top prosecutor, former adviser in bribery trial

The promoters of the trial of Senator Bob Menendez used his former campaign manager’s testimony Tuesday to try to link the Democrat’s alleged bribes to the appointment of New Jersey’s top prosecutor three years ago.

Michael Soliman, a former political adviser to Menendez, testified immediately after New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger finished two days on the witness stand in the trial in Manhattan federal court, which is in its sixth week.

Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen are on trial on charges that the senator accepted gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a luxury car from businessmen from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for helping them with their businesses, including trying to meddle in legal proceedings.

They pleaded not guilty. A third businessman pleaded guilty and testified against them. Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, has also pleaded not guilty in the case, although his trial was postponed after she went diagnosed with breast cancer.

Sellinger testified last week that Menendez told him that if he recommended that he be named New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, he hoped to take a look at a criminal case against Fred Daibes, a prominent New Jersey real estate developer, because he believed he “was being treated unfairly.”

Sellinger said he told Menendez the next day that he would have to notify the Justice Department that he might need to be recused from the Daibes case because he had worked on a lawsuit while in private practice that was adverse to Daibes.

Menendez then recommended someone else for the job, and Soliman testified Tuesday that a top Menendez aide told him in December 2020 that the senator and Sellinger “had a fight.”

Soliman said that after the new candidate’s nomination fell through following a series of negative news stories about her, Sellinger told him he wanted the senator to know that he had consulted with the Justice Department and found that “the issue” he thought would be after all, did not require his refusal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Richenthal asked Soliman if there was any confusion expressed by Menendez about what “the problem” was when he relayed the conversation to the senator.

“No,” said Soliman.

Soliman, who said he did not know what “the problem” Sellinger referred to was, also said Menendez did not ask any questions about the message Sellinger conveyed.

Sellinger, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, was sworn in as U.S. Attorney in December 2021 and has held the position ever since.

Sellinger, testifying last week, recalled his conversation with Soliman differently, claiming that he told Soliman exactly what he told the senator: that he hoped he might be recused from the Daibes case because of the civil case he worked on and that he was adverse to Daibes. .

Sellinger said he called Menéndez in spring 2022 to invite him to speak at a public ceremony celebrating Sellinger’s appointment as U.S. attorney.

“He said, ‘I’ll pass,'” Sellinger recalled.

Sellinger said the senator then said, “The only thing worse than not having a relationship with the United States attorney is people thinking you have a relationship with the United States attorney and you don’t.”

Sellinger testified under cross-examination last week and Tuesday in a favorable light to the senator, including saying he never believed Menéndez asked him to do anything inappropriate or unethical.

Buoyed by Sellinger’s cross-examination testimony, Menendez left court Tuesday looking upbeat, saying just before getting into his car: “Sellinger made that very clear. He was asked to do nothing wrong. And he didn’t. he did.”

Daibes, who is on trial with Menendez, contracted COVID last week, forcing a three-day delay in a trial that is now expected to stretch into July. After Wednesday’s holiday, the trial resumes on Thursday.