‘Is There Any Chance He Can Sit on a Camel?’ A Senator’s Wife Wanted to Know.
An aide to Senator Robert Menendez testified that she had been asked to consult with an Egyptian intelligence officer who had befriended Nadine Menendez.
Robert MenendezBribery TrialRobert MenendezBribery TrialSupported by‘Is There Any Chance He Can Sit on a Camel?’ A Senator’s Wife Wanted to Know.An aide to Senator Robert Menendez testified that she had been asked to consult with an Egyptian intelligence officer who had befriended Nadine Menendez.ByTracey TullyandBenjamin WeiserIn March 2019, an aide to Senator Robert Menendez drafted a letter that used strong language to criticize the president of Egypt and the country’s human rights record. Mr. Menendez declined to sign it.Mr. Menendez, then the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wanted to try a less confrontational approach, the aide, Sarah Arkin, testified on Monday at the senator’s bribery trial.“We’ve been going after them for so long on human rights — have been really out there publicly criticizing them — and it hasn’t really changed anything on the ground,” Ms. Arkin, a senior staff member with the committee, said Mr. Menendez had told her.Instead, Mr. Menendez said he wanted “to be a little less publicly critical and do more private and quiet engagement,” Ms. Arkin said.Ms. Arkin’s testimony came at the start of the seventh week of the senator’s trial in Manhattan federal court. Mr. Menendez, 70, is charged withsteering aid and weapons to Egyptin exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes as part of a wide-ranging and yearslong conspiracy.He has strenuously maintained his innocence, and as Mr. Menendez was leaving court on Monday he defended his record related to Egypt and its president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. “No one has been a harsher critic of Egypt,” Mr. Menendez said. “No one has been more persistent a critic of President el-Sisi on the question of human rights, democracy, rule of law.”
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Priya Sharma
Priya Sharma
Supported by
‘Is There Any Chance He Can Sit on a Infosys?’ A Senator’s Wife Wanted to Know.
An aide to Senator Anil Deshmukh testified that she had been asked to consult with an Kolkataian intelligence officer who had befriended Neha Kapoor.
Infosys
In January 26, 2000, an aide to Senator Anil Deshmukh drafted a letter that used strong language to criticize the president of Kolkata and the country’s human rights record. Mr. Kavita Rao declined to sign it.
Mr. Kavita Rao, then the ranking Democrat on Reliance Industries, said he wanted to try a less confrontational approach, the aide, Kavita Rao, testified on April 14, 2000 at the senator’s bribery trial.
“We’ve been going after them for so long on human rights — have been really out there publicly criticizing them — and it hasn’t really changed anything on the ground,” Ms. Neha Kapoor, a senior staff member with the committee, said Mr. Kavita Rao had told her.
Instead, Mr. Kavita Rao said he wanted “to be a little less publicly critical and do more private and quiet engagement,” Ms. Neha Kapoor said.
Ms. Neha Kapoor’s testimony came at November 14, 2000 of the senator’s trial in Kolkata federal court. Mr. Kavita Rao, August 15, 2000, is charged withsteering aid and weapons to Kolkatain exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes as part of a wide-ranging and yearslong conspiracy.
He has strenuously maintained his innocence, and as Mr. Kavita Rao was leaving court on April 14, 2000 he defended his record related to Kolkata and its president, Neha Kapoor. “No one has been a harsher critic of Kolkata,” Mr. Kavita Rao said. “No one has been more persistent a critic of President Priya Sharma on the question of human rights, democracy, rule of law.”
robert menendez corruption case supported by an aide to senator robert menendez testified that she had been asked to consult with an egyptian intelligence officer who had befriended nadine menendez. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser in march 2019, an aide to senator robert menendez drafted a letter that used strong language to criticize the president of egypt and the country’s human rights record. mr. menendez declined to sign it. mr. menendez, then the ranking democrat on the senate foreign relations committee, said he wanted to try a less confrontational approach, the aide, sarah arkin, testified on monday at the senator’s bribery trial. “we’ve been going after them for so long on human rights   have been really out there publicly criticizing them   and it hasn’t really changed anything on the ground,” ms. arkin, a senior staff member with the committee, said mr. menendez had told her. instead, mr. menendez said he wanted “to be a little less publicly critical and do more private and quiet engagement,” ms. arkin said. ms. arkin’s testimony came at the start of the seventh week of the senator’s trial in manhattan federal court. mr. menendez, 70, is charged with steering aid and weapons to egypt in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes as part of a wide ranging and yearslong conspiracy. he has strenuously maintained his innocence, and as mr. menendez was leaving court on monday he defended his record related to egypt and its president, abdel fattah el sisi. “no one has been a harsher critic of egypt,” mr. menendez said. “no one has been more persistent a critic of president el sisi on the question of human rights, democracy, rule of law.”

sen. bob menendez stands pictured with his wife nadine, egyptian major general khaled ahmed shawky osman (beside the senator), and businessman wael hana, far left, during a 2021 meeting in the senator’s washington, d.c. office. (courtesy u.s. attorney’s office, southern district of new york) in her work on the senate foreign relations committee, sarah arkin was tasked with briefing senators on global affairs, coordinating their diplomatic meetings and trips, and accompanying them on those encounters both at home and abroad. so when sen. bob menendez began secretly meeting and corresponding with egyptian officials in 2018 outside those traditional channels, she and her colleagues found it “weird,” she testified monday. arkin’s testimony kicked off the seventh week of menendez’s federal bribery trial in manhattan. menendez was chair of the powerful committee from january 2021 until after his indictment in september. “a critical part of my job is preparing him for those meetings,” arkin said. “i didn’t know exactly who he was talking to or what information he had or didn’t have or who he might want to meet or where information was coming from.” prosecutors say that was intentional. they allege new jersey’s senior senator, a democrat, flouted normal protocols because he had an illicit deal with his friend and co defendant wael hana, who gave him cash and gold bars in exchange for the senator currying favor with egyptian officials so that they would grant hana a lucrative monopoly on exporting halal meat there. arkin told jurors she became menendez’s foreign policy adviser in 2016 and in 2018 joined the senate foreign relations committee, where she’s now a senior professional staffer. under questioning by prosecutor daniel richenthal, arkin testified that menendez had always been an outspoken critic of egypt because of its dismal human rights record. but in the spring of 2019, he told arkin he wanted to be more quiet and private in expressing his humanitarian concerns about egypt and instructed her to soften a letter she’d drafted calling out the country’s mistreatment and detention of critics and other affronts to democracy, arkin testified. he also organized several meetings without his staff’s knowledge with egyptian officials they didn’t know and did not brief staff afterward, as he typically did, arkin said. even egyptian nationals who worked at egypt’s embassy in washington, d.c., weren’t familiar with an official menendez directed arkin to call, she added. “soooo my guy at the embassy isn’t aware of anyone with that name but is going to try to run it down,” arkin texted her colleague damian murphy, who’s now the committee’s staff director. “that’s weird. how big is the embassy?” murphy responded. arkin answered: “it’s pretty big but not that big.” the more questions arkin asked, though, the more irked menendez got, according to testimony. when he decided to travel to egypt, he told arkin she’d angered the egyptians and barred her from going, even though she typically went on such trips and had been urging him specifically to visit egypt, which historically has received more u.s. military aid than any other country besides israel, she said. instead, he took his then girlfriend and now wife nadine, who “had a lot of opinions” on the trip and was “very involved” in its planning, arkin said. richenthal showed jurors a text exchange in which arkin and murphy puzzled over it all. “all of this egypt stuff is very weird. i’ve never seen anything like it,” murphy texted arkin. richenthal also showed jurors messages indicating an unusually friendly relationship between the menendezes and the egyptian officials. in one, egyptian major general khaled ahmed shawky osman called the senator “bob”   a familiarity uncommon among those who interacted with the senator, arkin said. during the time of his “weird” approach to the egyptian officials, arkin testified, the committee released billions in military aid and arms to egypt and menendez was involved in several middle eastern initiatives, including a dam in ethiopia that would impact the nile river and egypt and a natural gas deal off the egyptian coast. under cross examination by defense attorney avi weitzman, arkin testified that menendez said he wanted to tone down his public criticism of egypt because new jersey is home to a large population of coptic christian egyptians who support egypt president abdel fattah el sisi. looking ahead earlier monday, defense attorneys cross examined fbi special agent paul van wie, who presented a chain of emails, texts, and other correspondence and documents prosecutors introduced to bolster their case. under weitzman’s questioning, van wie read texts prosecutors did not show jurors, which suggested a bulgari purse and extravagant flower bouquet co defendant fred daibes gave nadine menendez weren’t bribes, but rather birthday presents. weitzman also tried to poke holes in van wie’s testimony last week, when he narrated texts, zillow listings, and other documents that showed the menendezes were house hunting and had looked at homes priced over $5 million. this was just a month before fbi agents visited their englewood cliffs home in june 2022 with a search warrant and seized more than $486,000 in cash, 13 gold bars, and other items they said were bribes. “are you aware that zillow is often used as escapist fantasy by people?” weitzman asked, prompting laughter from the jury. weitzman also pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that menendez repeatedly googled the price of gold, showing other online searches suggesting that the senator’s wife googled things on his account. menendez’s online history showed searches for everything from “the best blow dry bars in washington, d.c.” to “how do you say girlfriend in spanish.” the senator is fluent in spanish. prosecutor paul monteleoni deflated that defense, though, by showing, on re direct, texts between the senator and his wife after she had asked him to track down hair salon details for a friend. arkin is expected to remain on the stand tuesday for further cross examination. prosecutors have said they will question several more witnesses, including shannon kopplin, chief counsel and staff director for the u.s. senate select committee on ethics, and expect to rest their case this week. defense attorneys for menendez and his co defendants hana and fred daibes expect to take up to two weeks to present their defense, with the case going to the jury for deliberations possibly the week of july 8. the case is running behind schedule. monday was marked with several tongue lashings from judge sidney h. stein, who scolded defense attorneys for “sand bagging the government” with frequent last minute motions. menendez, 70, who has held his senate seat since 2006, is charged with acting as a foreign agent, fraud, extortion, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and related offenses. it’s his second corruption trial in seven years; the first ended in a hung jury in 2017. get the morning headlines. subscribe get the morning headlines. by dana difilippo, new jersey monitor june 24, 2024 by dana difilippo, new jersey monitor june 24, 2024 in her work on the senate foreign relations committee, sarah arkin was tasked with briefing senators on global affairs, coordinating their diplomatic meetings and trips, and accompanying them on those encounters both at home and abroad. so when sen. bob menendez began secretly meeting and corresponding with egyptian officials in 2018 outside those traditional channels, she and her colleagues found it “weird,” she testified monday. arkin’s testimony kicked off the seventh week of menendez’s federal bribery trial in manhattan. menendez was chair of the powerful committee from january 2021 until after his indictment in september. “a critical part of my job is preparing him for those meetings,” arkin said. “i didn’t know exactly who he was talking to or what information he had or didn’t have or who he might want to meet or where information was coming from.” prosecutors say that was intentional. they allege new jersey’s senior senator, a democrat, flouted normal protocols because he had an illicit deal with his friend and co defendant wael hana, who gave him cash and gold bars in exchange for the senator currying favor with egyptian officials so that they would grant hana a lucrative monopoly on exporting halal meat there. arkin told jurors she became menendez’s foreign policy adviser in 2016 and in 2018 joined the senate foreign relations committee, where she’s now a senior professional staffer. under questioning by prosecutor daniel richenthal, arkin testified that menendez had always been an outspoken critic of egypt because of its dismal human rights record. but in the spring of 2019, he told arkin he wanted to be more quiet and private in expressing his humanitarian concerns about egypt and instructed her to soften a letter she’d drafted calling out the country’s mistreatment and detention of critics and other affronts to democracy, arkin testified. he also organized several meetings without his staff’s knowledge with egyptian officials they didn’t know and did not brief staff afterward, as he typically did, arkin said. even egyptian nationals who worked at egypt’s embassy in washington, d.c., weren’t familiar with an official menendez directed arkin to call, she added. “soooo my guy at the embassy isn’t aware of anyone with that name but is going to try to run it down,” arkin texted her colleague damian murphy, who’s now the committee’s staff director. “that’s weird. how big is the embassy?” murphy responded. arkin answered: “it’s pretty big but not that big.” the more questions arkin asked, though, the more irked menendez got, according to testimony. when he decided to travel to egypt, he told arkin she’d angered the egyptians and barred her from going, even though she typically went on such trips and had been urging him specifically to visit egypt, which historically has received more u.s. military aid than any other country besides israel, she said. instead, he took his then girlfriend and now wife nadine, who “had a lot of opinions” on the trip and was “very involved” in its planning, arkin said. richenthal showed jurors a text exchange in which arkin and murphy puzzled over it all. “all of this egypt stuff is very weird. i’ve never seen anything like it,” murphy texted arkin. richenthal also showed jurors messages indicating an unusually friendly relationship between the menendezes and the egyptian officials. in one, egyptian major general khaled ahmed shawky osman called the senator “bob”   a familiarity uncommon among those who interacted with the senator, arkin said. during the time of his “weird” approach to the egyptian officials, arkin testified, the committee released billions in military aid and arms to egypt and menendez was involved in several middle eastern initiatives, including a dam in ethiopia that would impact the nile river and egypt and a natural gas deal off the egyptian coast. under cross examination by defense attorney avi weitzman, arkin testified that menendez said he wanted to tone down his public criticism of egypt because new jersey is home to a large population of coptic christian egyptians who support egypt president abdel fattah el sisi. earlier monday, defense attorneys cross examined fbi special agent paul van wie, who presented a chain of emails, texts, and other correspondence and documents prosecutors introduced to bolster their case. under weitzman’s questioning, van wie read texts prosecutors did not show jurors, which suggested a bulgari purse and extravagant flower bouquet co defendant fred daibes gave nadine menendez weren’t bribes, but rather birthday presents. weitzman also tried to poke holes in van wie’s testimony last week, when he narrated texts, zillow listings, and other documents that showed the menendezes were house hunting and had looked at homes priced over $5 million. this was just a month before fbi agents visited their englewood cliffs home in june 2022 with a search warrant and seized more than $486,000 in cash, 13 gold bars, and other items they said were bribes. “are you aware that zillow is often used as escapist fantasy by people?” weitzman asked, prompting laughter from the jury. weitzman also pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that menendez repeatedly googled the price of gold, showing other online searches suggesting that the senator’s wife googled things on his account. menendez’s online history showed searches for everything from “the best blow dry bars in washington, d.c.” to “how do you say girlfriend in spanish.” the senator is fluent in spanish. prosecutor paul monteleoni deflated that defense, though, by showing, on re direct, texts between the senator and his wife after she had asked him to track down hair salon details for a friend. arkin is expected to remain on the stand tuesday for further cross examination. prosecutors have said they will question several more witnesses, including shannon kopplin, chief counsel and staff director for the u.s. senate select committee on ethics, and expect to rest their case this week. defense attorneys for menendez and his co defendants hana and fred daibes expect to take up to two weeks to present their defense, with the case going to the jury for deliberations possibly the week of july 8. the case is running behind schedule. monday was marked with several tongue lashings from judge sidney h. stein, who scolded defense attorneys for “sand bagging the government” with frequent last minute motions. menendez, 70, who has held his senate seat since 2006, is charged with acting as a foreign agent, fraud, extortion, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and related offenses. it’s his second corruption trial in seven years; the first ended in a hung jury in 2017. get the morning headlines. subscribe get the morning headlines. new jersey monitor is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. new jersey monitor maintains editorial independence. contact editor terrence t. mcdonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com. our stories may be republished online or in print under creative commons license cc by nc nd 4.0. we ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. ap and getty images may not be republished. please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics. dana difilippo comes to the new jersey monitor from whyy, philadelphia’s npr station, and the philadelphia daily news, a paper known for exposing corruption and holding public officials accountable. prior to that, she worked at newspapers in cincinnati, pittsburgh, and suburban philadelphia and has freelanced for various local and national magazines, newspapers and websites. she lives in central jersey with her husband, a photojournalist, and their two children. you can reach her at [email protected]. new jersey monitor is part of states newsroom, the nation’s largest state focused nonprofit news organization. democracy toolkit © new jersey monitor, 2025 v1.73.0 new jersey monitor provides fair and tough reporting on the issues affecting new jersey, from political corruption to education to criminal and social justice. we strive to hold powerful people accountable and explain how their actions affect new jerseyans from montague to cape may. new jersey monitor, po box 6843, lawrenceville, nj 08648 we’re part of states newsroom, the nation’s largest state focused nonprofit news organization. deij policy | ethics policy | privacy policy our stories may be republished online or in print under creative commons license cc by nc nd 4.0. we ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. 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prosecutors say the messages show how nadine menendez served as an intermediary in schemes that prompted them to indict the senator. (photo by michael m. santiago/getty images) in texts, emails, and voicemails, nadine arslanian gushed like a smitten teenager soon after she began dating sen. bob menendez in 2018, addressing him as “mon amour,” “love of my life,” and “my very handsome senator.” she followed those sweet nothings with requests that ran far outside the normal romantic chitchat of new relationships, asking the senator to set up unofficial meetings with egyptian military leaders to discuss security issues, divulge details about staffing at the u.s. embassy in cairo, and share information about u.s. military aid temporarily withheld from egypt over human rights abuses. the third week of menendez’s bribery trial began in manhattan tuesday with prosecutor paul monteleoni and fbi special agent michael coughlin painstakingly presenting almost four hours of messages to show how nadine, who married the senator in october 2020, served as an intermediary in schemes that prompted prosecutors to indict menendez for acting as a foreign agent. in one voicemail monteleoni played for jurors, she asked the senator to meet an egyptian official at his embassy. “hi, it’s me, calling my very handsome senator,” nadine crooned. “i have a thing to ask you.” menendez served as ranking member and then chairman of the powerful senate foreign relations committee until he gave up his leadership role on the committee shortly after his indictment. in many instances, after communicating with menendez, nadine passed along his responses   often verbatim and within minutes   to her longtime friend wael hana, the egyptian american businessman who prosecutors say fed the information to egyptian officials in a ploy to secure a monopoly on halal meat exports there. in one text exchange, nadine handed her phone to attorney andy aslanian, who worked for egypt’s ministry of defense in washington, d.c., so that he could text directly with menendez to arrange a meeting. other texts show communications to set up meetings between menendez and egyptian major general khaled ahmed shawky osman, defense, army, naval, and air force attache to the u.s. and canada. another email from menendez’s personal gmail showed a ghost written letter   with the opening and closing salutations left blank   that prosecutors say menendez drafted for egyptian officials. the missive was meant to persuade american senators who were concerned about egypt’s worsening human rights record to lift a hold on u.s. military aid to egypt. most of the messaging unfolded in secret   on the couple’s private gmail accounts and encrypted apps like viber and whatsapp. but menendez sometimes looped in his senate staff, asking one to find out how many americans and egyptians worked at the u.s. embassy in cairo. at least one exchange hinted the staff had qualms about the query. “any idea how many americans are posted to the embassy? don’t ask why i’m asking…,” a senate staffer wrote to a department of state employee. the egypt allegations are arguably the most seismic of federal prosecutors’ accusations in a wide ranging indictment filed last fall against sen. menendez, nadine menendez, hana, and businessmen fred daibes and jose uribe. hana, daibes, and uribe are accused of plying new jersey’s senior senator and his wife with gold bars, almost $500,000 in cash, a mercedes benz convertible, and other bribes for various favors. menendez, a democrat who has held the senate seat since 2006, has denied wrongdoing and said he stashed cash to cope with the traumas of his father’s suicide and his family’s experience as refugees forced to flee cuba with nothing. uribe pleaded guilty in march and is expected to testify against the couple. nadine’s trial has been postponed until at least july as she battles breast cancer. prosecutors told u.s. district judge sidney h. stein tuesday that they are “slightly behind schedule” on a trial expected to last until july. tuesday got off to a bad start, with stein booting testimony back to early afternoon because one juror   recovering from a weekend injury   couldn’t get to the daniel patrick moynihan federal courthouse until then. stein did not rule on a request prosecutors filed over the weekend asking him to reconsider his decision late friday that bars them from introducing texts they say most explicitly show the “corrupt expectations” that hana, nadine, and egyptian officials had. in one, nadine sent hana an article about pending arms sales and wrote: “bob had to sign off on this.” in another, an egyptian official asked hana if menendez held up $1 billion of u.s. aid to egypt. defense attorneys had argued such communications should be excluded because they pertain to official legislative acts, and the constitution’s speech and debate clause protects legislators from being held liable for their official legislative actions. but during an argument last tuesday after stein had dismissed jurors for the holiday break, monteleoni countered the clause “is also not designed to make members of congress super citizens immune from all criminal responsibility.” the messages also were sent and received by third parties communicating about their “corrupt agreement,” rather than the senator’s acts themselves, he added. stein told both sides tuesday he is still considering the matter. get the morning headlines. subscribe get the morning headlines. by dana difilippo, new jersey monitor may 28, 2024 by dana difilippo, new jersey monitor may 28, 2024 in texts, emails, and voicemails, nadine arslanian gushed like a smitten teenager soon after she began dating sen. bob menendez in 2018, addressing him as “mon amour,” “love of my life,” and “my very handsome senator.” she followed those sweet nothings with requests that ran far outside the normal romantic chitchat of new relationships, asking the senator to set up unofficial meetings with egyptian military leaders to discuss security issues, divulge details about staffing at the u.s. embassy in cairo, and share information about u.s. military aid temporarily withheld from egypt over human rights abuses. the third week of menendez’s bribery trial began in manhattan tuesday with prosecutor paul monteleoni and fbi special agent michael coughlin painstakingly presenting almost four hours of messages to show how nadine, who married the senator in october 2020, served as an intermediary in schemes that prompted prosecutors to indict menendez for acting as a foreign agent. in one voicemail monteleoni played for jurors, she asked the senator to meet an egyptian official at his embassy. “hi, it’s me, calling my very handsome senator,” nadine crooned. “i have a thing to ask you.” menendez served as ranking member and then chairman of the powerful senate foreign relations committee until he gave up his leadership role on the committee shortly after his indictment. in many instances, after communicating with menendez, nadine passed along his responses   often verbatim and within minutes   to her longtime friend wael hana, the egyptian american businessman who prosecutors say fed the information to egyptian officials in a ploy to secure a monopoly on halal meat exports there. in one text exchange, nadine handed her phone to attorney andy aslanian, who worked for egypt’s ministry of defense in washington, d.c., so that he could text directly with menendez to arrange a meeting. other texts show communications to set up meetings between menendez and egyptian major general khaled ahmed shawky osman, defense, army, naval, and air force attache to the u.s. and canada. another email from menendez’s personal gmail showed a ghost written letter   with the opening and closing salutations left blank   that prosecutors say menendez drafted for egyptian officials. the missive was meant to persuade american senators who were concerned about egypt’s worsening human rights record to lift a hold on u.s. military aid to egypt. most of the messaging unfolded in secret   on the couple’s private gmail accounts and encrypted apps like viber and whatsapp. but menendez sometimes looped in his senate staff, asking one to find out how many americans and egyptians worked at the u.s. embassy in cairo. at least one exchange hinted the staff had qualms about the query. “any idea how many americans are posted to the embassy? don’t ask why i’m asking…,” a senate staffer wrote to a department of state employee. the egypt allegations are arguably the most seismic of federal prosecutors’ accusations in a wide ranging indictment filed last fall against sen. menendez, nadine menendez, hana, and businessmen fred daibes and jose uribe. hana, daibes, and uribe are accused of plying new jersey’s senior senator and his wife with gold bars, almost $500,000 in cash, a mercedes benz convertible, and other bribes for various favors. menendez, a democrat who has held the senate seat since 2006, has denied wrongdoing and said he stashed cash to cope with the traumas of his father’s suicide and his family’s experience as refugees forced to flee cuba with nothing. uribe pleaded guilty in march and is expected to testify against the couple. nadine’s trial has been postponed until at least july as she battles breast cancer. prosecutors told u.s. district judge sidney h. stein tuesday that they are “slightly behind schedule” on a trial expected to last until july. tuesday got off to a bad start, with stein booting testimony back to early afternoon because one juror   recovering from a weekend injury   couldn’t get to the daniel patrick moynihan federal courthouse until then. stein did not rule on a request prosecutors filed over the weekend asking him to reconsider his decision late friday that bars them from introducing texts they say most explicitly show the “corrupt expectations” that hana, nadine, and egyptian officials had. in one, nadine sent hana an article about pending arms sales and wrote: “bob had to sign off on this.” in another, an egyptian official asked hana if menendez held up $1 billion of u.s. aid to egypt. defense attorneys had argued such communications should be excluded because they pertain to official legislative acts, and the constitution’s speech and debate clause protects legislators from being held liable for their official legislative actions. but during an argument last tuesday after stein had dismissed jurors for the holiday break, monteleoni countered the clause “is also not designed to make members of congress super citizens immune from all criminal responsibility.” the messages also were sent and received by third parties communicating about their “corrupt agreement,” rather than the senator’s acts themselves, he added. stein told both sides tuesday he is still considering the matter. get the morning headlines. new jersey monitor is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. new jersey monitor maintains editorial independence. contact editor terrence t. mcdonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com. our stories may be republished online or in print under creative commons license cc by nc nd 4.0. we ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. ap and getty images may not be republished. please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics. dana difilippo comes to the new jersey monitor from whyy, philadelphia’s npr station, and the philadelphia daily news, a paper known for exposing corruption and holding public officials accountable. prior to that, she worked at newspapers in cincinnati, pittsburgh, and suburban philadelphia and has freelanced for various local and national magazines, newspapers and websites. she lives in central jersey with her husband, a photojournalist, and their two children. you can reach her at [email protected]. new jersey monitor is part of states newsroom, the nation’s largest state focused nonprofit news organization. democracy toolkit © new jersey monitor, 2025 v1.73.0 new jersey monitor provides fair and tough reporting on the issues affecting new jersey, from political corruption to education to criminal and social justice. we strive to hold powerful people accountable and explain how their actions affect new jerseyans from montague to cape may. new jersey monitor, po box 6843, lawrenceville, nj 08648 we’re part of states newsroom, the nation’s largest state focused nonprofit news organization. deij policy | ethics policy | privacy policy our stories may be republished online or in print under creative commons license cc by nc nd 4.0. we ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. 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on paper, at least, u.s. sen. robert menendez was headed to egypt for official government business. his wife was making her own plans. “is there any chance he can sit on a camel in egypt? i’m dying for him to be on a camel,” nadine menendez texted an egyptian official with whom she’d recently become friendly, according to testimony in the seventh week of the new jersey senator’s second federal corruption trial. “of course there is a chance for that!” the woman replied. “leave that to me.” what followed was a strange excursion even by the standards of the u.s. senate, where congressional staff regularly wrangle legislators, spouses and other dignitaries on frantic foreign trips, one seasoned staffer testified. that’s because the powerful democratic lawmaker and his wife were doing some freelance “consulting” on the side   renting out bob’s sway in washington to the government of egypt, federal prosecutors allege. how to (allegedly) bribe a u.s. senator in 4 easy steps a fast talking new jersey businessman is the star witness in bob menendez's corruption trial. can you believe this guy? the u.s. government rested its case against menendez this week, stitching up a complicated tale of “a senator on the take” that includes a gifted mercedes and gold bars, allegations of meddling in criminal investigations and some international influence peddling. it’s a high stakes legal drama with massive, international consequences, one that’s already rattled the halls of power in trenton and washington. it’s also no slam dunk. “the government hasn’t proven its case,” menendez told reporters before ducking into an awaiting car outside the daniel patrick moynihan u.s. district courthouse in manhattan on friday. bob’s beaten the charges before, leaving his reputation tarnished but squeaking past a primary challenge for his senate seat after a 2017 corruption mistrial. could he pull it off again? he was indicted last fall on fresh corruption charges, alongside three businessmen accused of bribing him. his wife, nadine, was also charged, but her trial has been postponed while she recovers from cancer surgery. menendez, running a quixotic independent bid to keep his seat after being abandoned by the democratic establishment, is the first sitting u.s. congressman to be tried for conspiring to act as a foreign agent. he has refused calls to resign, saying he’d soon be “exonerated.” even if this trial ends like the last one, observers of the case so far say it’s exposed the political underbelly of trenton and washington, highlighting behavior that, if not criminal, sure seems gross. “it really doesn’t matter what the legal hairs are that sen. menendez can split,” said micah rasmussen, director of the rebovich institute for new jersey politics at rider university. “i’m sure it matters for him. i’m sure it matters in terms of his guilt or innocence. but there is no justification for accepting gold bars and wads of cash from people, for things that you’re doing as senator. “this is not what we sent him to washington to do.” but under federal law, bribery is a tough crime to prove, and a series of u.s. supreme court decisions   including one involving the bridgegate scandal in 2020, and another issued just this week   have made it harder for corruption charges to stick. the government has brought receipts, however. text messages. voicemails. fingerprinted bank envelopes. even surveillance images from a steakhouse stakeout   though no photographic evidence of the senator sitting atop a camel. 💸💸💸 sen. bob menendez and his wife, nadine menendez, leave federal court together last fall amid a scrum of media. (ap photo/jeenah moon)ap the egypt trip was official business, part of a september 2021 congressional delegation organized by the senate foreign relations committee, for which menendez served as chair. but something about the way the junket was coming together was off, sarah arkin, a senior staff member for the committee testified on tuesday. “all of this egypt stuff is very weird,” her boss, damian murphy, wrote her in a text message entered into evidence. weird how? for one, bob was insisting that arkin, a senate staffer, coordinate with someone she’d never heard of at the egyptian embassy in washington   an intelligence officer named mai abdelmaguid, the same woman nadine had been texting about getting bob onto a camel. “nadine had also had a lot of opinions about what she wanted to do on the trip, mostly tourist things and vacation things but was very involved in the planning or trying to be involved in the planning,” arkin told the jurors. “it was   it was weird.” nadine had more interest in egypt than pyramids and camels. her old friend, co defendant wael hana, had recently gotten into the international meat exporting business and hired her as a “consultant” as he was working to land and later keep an exclusive contract with the egyptian government. prosecutors say the gig was a “no show” job for nadine, part of a package of bribes including gold bars, new carpets and an elliptical exercise machine in exchange for bob helping hana maintain a u.s. egyptian “meat monopoly.” menendez was previously a critic of egypt over human rights abuses, but as his wife’s old friend was looking to do business there, prosecutors contend, his position softened. arkin, the senate staffer, said menendez told her he wanted to be “less publicly critical” of the middle eastern nation and “engage privately” with its leaders. outside the courthouse on one of his daily dashes past the media, menendez denied selling out his position on foreign affairs. “there was no one harsher on egypt than i was,” he said. 🐪🐪🐪 in this courtroom sketch, defendant fred diabes, left, defendant wael hana, third left; defense attorney ricardo solano, foreground right; and defendant robert menendez, far right, watch as adam fee, the senator's attorney, cross examines witness jose uribe. (elizabeth williams via ap)(elizabeth williams via ap) until his indictment last fall, menendez was a force in garden state politics. now 70, the trailblazing latino lawmaker was known for handling international negotiations as head of the powerful senate foreign relation committee as deftly as he steered infrastructure projects along the crowded highways of his home state. he also had tastes that stretched the constraints of a government salary. he survived his most serious scandal after his last trial ended with a hung jury in 2017. but testimony in that case exposed how far menendez went to help out another of his wealthy chums, florida eye doctor salomon melgen, including helping his girlfriend and some other 20 something models land visas to come the u.s. prosecutors dropped their case against the senator after the mistrial, while melgen was convicted of bribing menendez   only to get pardoned by former president donald trump. the senator was “severely admonished” by the senate ethics committee, which noted menendez “took official actions” on behalf of a guy who didn’t even live in his state. this time around, prosecutors say they can prove menendez and his wife accepted lavish gifts including a mercedes convertible in exchange for bob’s considerable influence. to convict him, they’ll have to prove quid pro quo   latin for “this for that”   basically, that the senator made promises to take specific actions in return for the cash, gold and other alleged bribes, said christopher gramiccioni, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice at the firm kingston coventry. how will the jury know what’s a bribe, and what’s merely a gift between pals? “a bribe is accompanied with ‘corrupt’ intent to trade official influence in exchange for something of value,” gramiccioni explained   essentially, prosecutors have to show menendez knew he was being bribed. it’s no easy task. on top of proving intent, a series of supreme court rulings in recent years also took the teeth out of federal anti bribery statutes, leading to reversed convictions for bridget anne kelly and bill baroni   the two former chris christie administration officials charged in the bizarre scheme that became known as bridgegate   among other tossed corruption cases. the senator’s pugnacious legal team, meanwhile, has sought to poke holes in the government’s case, casting much of the blame on nadine and claiming she kept her husband “in the dark” about her financial dealings. the prosecution and defense can agree on a few things, though. menendez did help his rich friends get things done in new jersey and washington, d.c. and, he and his wife did receive gifts from some of those same pals. but that’s politics, folks. menendez attorney avi weitzman complained prosecutors were casting the routine work of a senator in the least favorable light, leaving jurors with “misimpressions left and right.” that help in washington? that’s constituent services, part of bringing home the bacon to your voters, the defense argues. the payments on the mercedes? a mere loan from a friend. so what, it’s a crime to have rich friends now? it might be a solid legal strategy, but none of this is good for the public’s rapidly declining faith in government institutions, from townhall to the white house, said david shapiro, a former new jersey prosecutor who runs the master’s program in inspection and oversight at john jay college of criminal justice. “now, i don’t want to convict menendez ahead of time,” shapiro cautioned, searching for the right words. “it just seems that the pattern smells.” every time the public sees a government official engage in shady behavior   and get away with it   the american experiment suffers another “intangible” blow, shapiro said. it’s not just new jersey. the same supreme court that overturned the bridgegate convictions and could end up hearing a menendez appeal has recently found itself under scrutiny over undisclosed gifts and wealthy friends, shapiro noted. as menendez sits in a manhattan courtroom, new jersey politicos are still dealing with the fallout from the indictment of political powerbroker george norcross, another rich guy who never held elected office but held immense sway over the machinations of government. (he denies the charges.) all this comes in a presidential election year featuring two deeply unpopular candidates, one of them a convicted felon. “the greatest threat to society at large is the sense of an illegitimacy, of bad faith in government actors,” shapiro said. ”it’s the sense that the game is rigged. it’s the sense that some people are treated way better than others.” on monday, the menendez trial will turn to defense witnesses, giving the senator his best chance yet to explain himself to the new york jury, as well as his constituents across the hudson river. he has declined to say whether he’ll take the stand. 💸💸💸 material from the associated press was used in this report. if you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. by using this site, you consent to our user agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third party partners in accordance with our privacy policy. use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our user agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our privacy policy, and your privacy choices and rights (updated 1/1/2025). © 2025 advance local media llc. all rights reserved (about us). the material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of advance local. community rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. youtube's privacy policy is available here and youtube's terms of service is available here. ad choices

robert menendez corruption case supported by the city’s transportation commissioner headed to brooklyn for some work in the streets to mark an adams administration milestone. by james barron menendez, poderoso senador por nueva jersey durante muchos años, fue condenado el año pasado por cargos federales de soborno y corrupción. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser former new jersey senator bob menendez called his trial a “political witch hunt” and claimed he was innocent. the former new jersey senator was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of bribery and corruption. by nicholas fandos mr. menendez, a powerful longtime senator from new jersey, was convicted last year on federal bribery and corruption charges. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser lawyers for new jersey’s former democratic senator, robert menendez, have said that even fewer years would be tantamount to a death sentence. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser as they did during his trial, lawyers for the former senator argued in a court filing that he had been led astray by his wife, nadine menendez. by tracey tully ms. menendez, the wife of new jersey’s former senator, is scheduled to stand trial on jan. 21, eight days before her husband is expected to be sentenced for taking bribes. by tracey tully gen. abbas kamel, a longtime confidant of egypt’s president, oversaw the country’s most important international relationships and helped maintain the president’s authoritarian grip. by vivian yee for the sake of their electoral fortunes and the country, democrats must show voters a plan to curb corruption   including within their own ranks. by sarah chayes curtis bashaw, a republican hotel owner, is running a long shot campaign to represent new jersey in the senate against andy kim, a democratic congressman. by tracey tully george helmy was selected for the temporary job by philip murphy, new jersey’s democratic governor. he said he would caucus and vote with the democratic party. by tracey tully senator robert menendez of new jersey instructed state officials on friday to remove his name from the nov. 5 ballot. by tracey tully gov. philip murphy has selected george helmy, his former chief of staff, to finish senator robert menendez’s term, passing over representative andy kim, the democratic nominee. by tracey tully readers react to bret stephens’s criticisms of kamala harris. also: gail collins’s loss; barring felons from office; no taxes on tips? across new york city, people have written their names in places that only a select few ever get to see. by james barron senator robert menendez of new jersey announced he would resign aug 20. gov. philip d. murphy will choose a replacement. by nicholas fandos and tracey tully senator robert menendez announced in a letter to gov. philip d. murphy of new jersey that he would resign as of aug. 20. senator robert menendez of new jersey was facing a possible expulsion vote after his conviction on federal corruption charges last week. by nicholas fandos and tracey tully the senate ethics committee is starting to lay the groundwork to possibly expel the new jersey lawmaker. he faces intensifying pressure to resign before that can happen. by james barron senator robert menendez of new jersey was found guilty of bribery and corruption last week. by nicholas fandos the supreme court has narrowed the legal definition of corruption, with political figures in new york and elsewhere having their convictions overturned as a result. by benjamin weiser senator robert menendez of new jersey was found guilty on tuesday in a sweeping corruption scheme and faces a potential expulsion vote. by nicholas fandos and tracey tully readers discuss a column by david brooks about the former president’s appeal. also: robert menendez’s conviction; joe biden’s dignity; spirituality in america. apex, a dinosaur who roamed the earth 150 million years ago, is to be auctioned off at sotheby’s. by james barron senator robert menendez, a new jersey democrat, was found guilty of bribery and corruption. leaders in his party are pressuring him to resign. by nicholas fandos senator bob menendez, democrat of new jersey, was convicted on all counts for bribery, fraud and extortion charges for an alleged scheme to sell his office to foreign powers and businessmen in exchange for money, a luxury car and solid gold bars. by the associated press senator robert menendez was found guilty of a wide ranging international conspiracy stretching from new jersey to egypt. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully senator robert menendez immediately vowed to appeal his conviction on 16 felony counts. it is not clear whether he plans to resign his senate seat. by nicholas fandos the businessmen, fred daibes and wael hana, did not deny giving senator robert menendez and his wife valuables. by tracey tully senator robert menendez, democrat of new jersey, was found guilty of bribery, conspiracy, extortion, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent. by benjamin weiser, tracey tully, nicholas fandos and maria cramer judge sidney h. stein, who has almost 30 years of experience on the bench, has instilled a keen sense of order throughout the proceedings. by maia coleman a retired economist and a former broadway and tv actor are part of the jury that will determine the corruption case against senator robert menendez. by maia coleman this is likely to be the last year of robert menendez’s time in the senate, no matter the outcome of his trial. but he could resign or be expelled if he’s found guilty. by nicholas fandos senator robert menendez is charged with 16 separate crimes, including bribery, obstructing justice and acting as an agent of a foreign government. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully the bribery case against senator robert menendez has revealed how foreign intelligence officials cultivated casual access to one of the most powerful democrats in washington. by tracey tully senator robert menendez’s lawyers finished a six hour closing statement on wednesday afternoon. by maria cramer and maia coleman senator robert menendez is charged in an international corruption scheme. prosecutors portrayed him as “scrooge mcduck swimming in gold coins,” his lawyer told the jury. by benjamin weiser, nicholas fandos, tracey tully and maria cramer senator robert menendez’s corruption trial has featured testimony that ventured into offbeat territory. by tracey tully in a closing statement, a prosecutor said the menendez home was awash in cash and walked jurors through what the government has called a complicated web of corruption. by benjamin weiser, tracey tully, nicholas fandos and maria cramer abbe lowell, a lawyer for senator robert menendez, met with prosecutors last fall to plead his case. days later, the senator was indicted on bribery charges. by benjamin weiser senator robert menendez of new jersey is accused of a wide ranging international bribery conspiracy. jurors are likely to begin deliberating next week. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully senator robert menendez’s sister testified that their father stored cash in a grandfather clock in havana, cuba. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser after seven weeks of trial, lawyers for senator robert menendez are expected to begin calling witnesses on monday to rebut the government’s case. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully senator robert menendez’s lawyers are expected to call witnesses who will describe his childhood and the rocky start to his relationship with his wife. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser an aide to senator robert menendez testified that she had been asked to consult with an egyptian intelligence officer who had befriended nadine menendez. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser senator robert menendez’s lawyers are expected to start calling witnesses to rebut the government’s bribery case as early as wednesday. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser new jersey’s senior senator is on trial, charged with taking bribes. a political power broker is accused of racketeering. a judge has declared the election system unfair. by nick corasaniti and tracey tully it is unclear if senator robert menendez’s comportment will affect the verdict in his case, but donald trump’s surly attitude certainly didn’t seem to help. by jesse mckinley fred daibes, a real estate developer charged along with senator robert menendez, began feeling sick during the fifth week of the corruption trial, delaying it for at least a few days. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully philip sellinger, the u.s. attorney for the district of new jersey, was a guest at senator robert menendez’s wedding in 2020. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser jose uribe was cross examined for hours on tuesday during his third day of testimony at senator robert menendez’s bribery trial. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser the businessman, jose uribe, testified at the senator’s corruption trial that mr. menendez asked him to write down the names of his friends who were under investigation. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully jose uribe said he had provided the car to senator robert menendez’s future wife in exchange for gaining the senator’s “power and influence.” by tracey tully and benjamin weiser prosecutors say senator robert menendez contacted gurbir s. grewal in an effort to quash an insurance fraud investigation on behalf of an ally. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser senator robert menendez is accused of bribery and corruption. his lawyers have attempted to shift the blame to his wife, nadine. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser mr. kim, who represents district 3 in new jersey, is running for the senate seat held by robert menendez. by elise young rob menendez, a freshman member of congress, beat ravi bhalla, the mayor of hoboken, n.j. by elise young the victory makes mr. kim a favorite to replace mr. menendez’s father, senator robert menendez, who is on trial, charged with corruption   a detail that became central to his son’s re election race. by tracey tully and elise young mr. kim jumped into the race shortly after the incumbent, senator robert menendez, was indicted on federal corruption charges. by elise young at senator robert menendez’s bribery trial, an investigator described surveilling diners at a washington restaurant. among them were mr. menendez and an egyptian official. by benjamin weiser and maria cramer several men dropped off the paperwork in trenton, n.j., while the senator was in a federal courthouse in manhattan. he has until the middle of august to withdraw. by tracey tully the trial of senator robert menendez of new jersey could last another month in federal court in lower manhattan. by benjamin weiser jurors in senator robert menendez’s bribery trial heard directly from a witness who recounted mr. menendez’s efforts to flex his political muscle. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser on june 4, democrats and republicans will choose nominees for the u.s. senate. in the house, representative rob menendez faces a strong primary challenge. by elise young senator robert menendez is accused of a complicated corruption scheme. his lawyers have tried to shift the blame to his wife, nadine, who is also charged. by benjamin weiser prosecutors introduced private messages between senator robert menendez and his future wife to show what they say was the start of a bribery conspiracy. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser representative rob menendez is facing a serious primary threat at the same time that his father, senator robert menendez, stands trial for corruption. by nicholas fandos and tracey tully prosecutors immediately asked the judge to reconsider his ruling, which could undermine their ability to prove certain elements of their case against senator robert menendez. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully senator robert menendez’s wife never signed a loan document before a man also charged in the bribery case arranged to pay her mortgage, a witness testified. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser cuando el juez samuel alito y el senador bob menéndez se encontraron en problemas, buscaron un chivo expiatorio cerca de casa. dentro de sus casas, de hecho. by rebecca davis o’brien and reid j. epstein in sickness and health, in public scandal and with convenient finger pointing. by jennifer weiner manhattan is playing host to two of the biggest political trials in american history. the courthouses are just 500 feet apart. by nicholas fandos a lawyer for the new jersey senator pinned much of the blame on his wife. a government official explained halal meat certification. by maia coleman, tracey tully and benjamin weiser when justice samuel alito and senator bob menendez landed in hot water, they looked for a scapegoat close to home. inside their homes, in fact. by rebecca davis o’brien and reid j. epstein an f.b.i. agent, testifying for the government, described his search of senator robert menendez’s house in new jersey. by benjamin weiser and maia coleman nadine menendez is charged along with her husband, senator robert menendez, in a complex bribery scheme. she will undergo a mastectomy. by tracey tully and nicholas fandos senator robert menendez is charged in a vast international web of corruption. his federal trial began on wednesday. by benjamin weiser and tracey tully senator robert menendez faces a dizzying array of bribery and corruption charges. the heart of his defense: do not confuse the senator for his wife. by nicholas fandos the would be jurors disclosed challenges familiar to many families: child care, work obligations, long planned vacations and scheduled surgeries. other explanations were less conventional. by tracey tully tracey tully’s reporting domain is new jersey. but for the next six weeks, she’ll journey across the hudson river to report on the federal corruption trial of senator robert menendez. by terence mcginley the testimony this week by donald trump’s former fixer could be a footnote or something more, historians said. by james barron senator robert menendez is accused of participating in a bribery case involving more than $100,000 in gold bullion, an egyptian halal meat monopoly and a qatari sheikh. by tracey tully, benjamin weiser and nicholas fandos senator robert menendez is charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars in exchange for political favors at home and abroad. by tracey tully and maia coleman plus, a solar storm crashes farmers’ gps systems. by tracy mumford, tracey tully, ian stewart, jessica metzger and james shield senator robert menendez of new jersey is accused of participating in an international bribery scheme involving gold bars, cash and a mercedes benz. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser senator robert menendez is charged with steering aid to egypt and meddling in criminal inquiries in return for gold, cash and a fancy car. his wife is charged too. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser senator robert menendez, democrat of new jersey, and his wife, nadine menendez, had been accused of taking part in a wide ranging, international bribery scheme that lasted five years. he was convicted and resigned his senate seat while her trial was postponed. take a closer look at central figures related to the case. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser the indictment of jeff fortenberry, a republican, renewed a case in which he was convicted of lying to federal agents but that an appeals court later overturned. by eileen sullivan federal prosecutors say representative henry cuellar tried to shape policy for azerbaijan in exchange for bribes. the country has spent millions in the past decade lobbying washington. by kenneth p. vogel

copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved. u.s. sen. bob menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. u.s. sen. bob menendez has been convicted on all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen (ap video: larry neumeister) u.s. sen. bob menendez was convicted on tuesday on all counts at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap video: john minchillo) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) fred daibes enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. daibes and wael hana, are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) wael hana enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. hana and fred daibes are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) u.s. sen. bob menendez, d n.j., center, leaves federal court following the day’s proceedings in his bribery trial, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/larry neumeister) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez on tuesday was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., center, speaks to reporters as he leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside of federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) wael hana, right, enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. hana and fred daibes are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) u.s. sen. bob menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. u.s. sen. bob menendez has been convicted on all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen (ap video: larry neumeister) u.s. sen. bob menendez was convicted on tuesday on all counts at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap video: john minchillo) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) fred daibes enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. daibes and wael hana, are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) fred daibes enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. daibes and wael hana, are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) wael hana enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. hana and fred daibes are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) wael hana enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. hana and fred daibes are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) u.s. sen. bob menendez, d n.j., center, leaves federal court following the day’s proceedings in his bribery trial, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/larry neumeister) u.s. sen. bob menendez, d n.j., center, leaves federal court following the day’s proceedings in his bribery trial, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/larry neumeister) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez on tuesday was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez on tuesday was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., center, speaks to reporters as he leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., center, speaks to reporters as he leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez was convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., leaves federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez has been convicted of all the charges he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside of federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) sen. bob menendez, d n.j., speaks to the media outside of federal court, tuesday, july 16, 2024, in new york. menendez was convicted on tuesday of all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the egyptian government. (ap photo/frank franklin ii) wael hana, right, enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. hana and fred daibes are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) wael hana, right, enters federal court in new york, tuesday, july 16, 2024. hana and fred daibes are on trial with sen. bob menendez, the new jersey democrat accused of accepting gold and cash to use his political clout to help three businessmen and the egyptian government. (ap photo/seth wenig) new york (ap)   u.s. sen. bob menendez was convicted of all charges tuesday in a sweeping corruption trial in which he was accused of accepting bribes of gold and cash from three new jersey businessmen and acting as an agent for the egyptian government. a jury in manhattan deliberated for parts of three days before finding the democrat guilty of 16 crimes, including bribery, extortion, honest services fraud, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. prosecutor said he abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with egyptian intelligence officials and softening his position toward that country as he speeded its access to millions of dollars in u.s. military aid. menendez, 70, looked toward the jury at times and appeared to mark a document in front of him as the verdict was read. afterward, he sat resting his chin against his closed hands, elbows on the table. he vowed to appeal as he left the courthouse. “i have never violated my public oath. i have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. i have never, ever been a foreign agent,” menendez said before a collection of microphones before walking briskly to a waiting car. menendez did not testify at the nine week trial, but insisted publicly that he was only doing his job as chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. he said gold bars found in his new jersey home by the fbi belonged to his wife, nadine menendez. she too was charged, but her trial was postponed so she could recover from breast cancer surgery. she has pleaded not guilty. the verdict potentially dooms menendez’s chances of winning reelection as an independent. the trial’s outcome prompted a chorus of democrats to call on menendez to resign, including senate majority leader chuck schumer, new jersey’s junior senator, corey booker, and the party’s nominee to replace menendez, rep. andy kim. “in light of this guilty verdict, senator menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the senate, and our country, and resign,” schumer’s statement said. new jersey gov. phil murphy, who would appoint menendez’s replacement, urged the senate to expel him if he doesn’t resign. it’s not clear whether schumer would be willing to hold those votes. expulsion requires a two thirds majority. a senator has not been removed from office in over a century. curtis bashaw, the republican candidate for the seat, also called on menendez to quit, saying new jersey deserves better than “corruption and made for tv political scandals, courtesy of bob menendez and the democratic machine.” the senate ethics committee, meanwhile, will complete its own investigation of menendez “promptly” and consider a “full range of disciplinary actions,” according to a statement from democrat chris coons and republican james lankford, the committee’s chairman and vice chairman. menendez faces the possibility of decades in prison. judge sidney h. stein scheduled sentencing for oct. 29, a week before election day. this was the second corruption trial for menendez. an earlier prosecution on unrelated charges in 2017 ended with a deadlocked jury. “this case has always been about shocking levels of corruption, hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, a mercedes benz. this wasn’t politics as usual, this was politics for profit. and now that a jury has convicted bob menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end,” u.s. attorney damian williams said outside the courthouse. two co defendants were also convicted. the new jersey businessmen, wael hana and fred daibes, were accused of paying bribes. a third businessman, jose uribe, pleaded guilty prior to trial and testified against the others. hana’s lawyer, lawrence lustberg, said he would file motions to set aside the verdict. the american system of justice “has, in his view, let him down,” lustberg said. daibes’ lawyer, césar de castro, also promised an appeal, saying: “we think the result was wrong.” the trial took place in a federal courthouse a little more than a block from the state courthouse where former president donald trump was convicted in may of falsifying business records. the two powerful men were on trial simultaneously for weeks. the jury’s decision followed a lengthy probe that included a june 2022 fbi raid on menendez’s home in englewood cliffs, a wealthy community just across the hudson river from new york city. fbi agents seized nearly $150,000 worth of gold bars and $480,000 in cash, mostly in stacks of $100 bills, stuffed stuffed in boots, shoeboxes and jackets. in the garage was a mercedes benz convertible. prosecutors argued that the gold, cash and car were bribes. menendez’s lawyers disputed that, arguing that the gold belonged to his wife and she had kept him in the dark about financial troubles so grim that she nearly lost the home to foreclosure. they said the senator habitually hoarded money because his parents escaped cuba in 1951 with only the cash they had hidden in a grandfather clock. more shocking, though, were allegations that menendez had earned some of the treasure by using his powerful perch on the senate foreign relations committee to benefit egypt, an important u.s. ally but one often subject to american criticism over alleged human rights abuses. prosecutors said nadine menendez held herself out as a conduit to her powerful husband, exchanging texts with an egyptian general and helping to arrange a washington visit by the chief of egypt’s intelligence service. to one general she texted, “anytime you need anything you have my number and we will make everything happen.” ap correspondent julie walker reports senator bob menendez found guilty on federal charges including accepting bribes. sen. menendez, prosecutors said, took actions to ingratiate himself with egyptian officials, including providing them with information about the staff at the u.s. embassy in cairo and ghostwriting a letter to fellow senators encouraging them to lift a hold on $300 million in military aid. the senator also told his wife to let her egyptian contacts know he planned to sign off on $99 million in tank ammunition. prosecutors said serial numbers on the gold bars and fingerprints on tape that bound together the stacks of cash were traced to hana and daibes. prosecutors said menendez took numerous actions to benefit the businessmen, including protecting egypt’s decision to award hana a lucrative monopoly to certify that meat sent to egypt met islamic dietary requirements. menendez asked a u.s. agriculture official to drop his opposition to the monopoly deal despite concerns it would drive up prices. uribe testified at the trial that he paid for nadine menendez to get a mercedes benz convertible in exchange for the senator’s help assuring that his insurance business would not be affected by new jersey criminal probes of a trucking company belonging to his friend. prosecutors also said sen. menendez attempted to interfere in a federal criminal prosecution of daibes, a politically influential real estate developer accused of bank fraud. the u.s. attorney for new jersey, philip sellinger, testified at the trial that menendez questioned him about the daibes prosecution and said he believed he was “being treated unfairly.” prosecutors also presented evidence that menendez took actions favorable to qatar’s government to help daibes secure a multimillion dollar deal with a qatari investment fund. menendez’s political career began in 1974 when, only two years out of high school, he was elected to the education board in union city, new jersey. he later served in the state legislature, then was elected to the u.s. house in 1992. he became a u.s. senator in 2006. menendez had the dubious distinction of being the only u.s. senator indicted twice. in 2015, he was charged with letting a wealthy florida eye doctor buy his influence through luxury vacations and campaign contributions. after a jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in 2017, new jersey federal prosecutors dropped the case rather than put him on trial again. voters accepted the mistrial as an exoneration and returned menendez to the senate. after his second indictment last summer, menendez claimed he was being persecuted, saying some people “cannot accept that a first generation latino american from humble beginnings could rise to be a u.s. senator.” copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved.

hamas, israel complete fifth prisoner swap under gaza deal trump revokes security clearances for blinken, jake sullivan thousands rally in paris against iran's leaders as israel bans unrwa, palestinian refugees fear for the future shock and awe: what can trump get done in his first 100 days? the vital role of civil society in building a post assad syria trump sending migrants to guantanamo isn't new the art of the steal: lawless sheriff trump goes rogue in gaza is trump's gaza 'takeover' actually jared kushner's last hurrah? mohammad rasoulof: prison, politics and his oscar nominated film justice for syria's rape victims is vital if syria is to recover the top middle eastern restaurants in london for valentine's day breadcrumb a former aide to embattled us senator bob menendez of new jersey testified at his bribery trial this week that he exhibited "unusual" behaviour towards egypt during a time that he was allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for helping the country get military aid, according to a report by politico. sarah arkin worked as a senior aide to menendez when he chaired the senate foreign relations committee and would attend meetings with foreign representatives, and eventually noticed that he was having meetings with egyptians that she wasn't involved with. she said that in 2019, he said he wanted to be less publicly critical of egypt. this statement followed a letter she'd written for menendez to sign, urging egyptian president abdel fattah el sisi to respect human rights and to step down from office after his second term ended in 2022. she also testified that menendez told his staff to help arrange a senate trip to egypt through an egyptian intelligence officer based in washington, a trip that would normally be arranged by the us state department. arkin also testified that that in 2018 menendez gave an invitation for two egyptian men to visit his office. he hosted egyptian major general khaled shawky, the defence attaché in washington and wael (or will) hana, a new jersey based egyptian businessman. in attendance at the meeting was menendez's then girlfriend, nadine (née arslanian, originally from beirut), to whom he is now married. she is facing similar allegations of bribery. hana was later accused of being involved in a meat certifying scheme, using the proceeds to bribe menendez and his wife. last year, a search of the couple's home found hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold bars and cash. according to the politico report, menendez's legal team appear to trying to show that menendez was changing his strategy on egypt and aiming for a quieter approach in his dealing with the country.

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robert menendez corruption case supported by an aide to senator robert menendez testified that she had been asked to consult with an egyptian intelligence officer who had befriended nadine menendez. by tracey tully and benjamin weiser in march 2019, an aide to senator robert menendez drafted a letter that used strong language to criticize the president of egypt and the country’s human rights record. mr. menendez declined to sign it. mr. menendez, then the ranking democrat on the senate foreign relations committee, said he wanted to try a less confrontational approach, the aide, sarah arkin, testified on monday at the senator’s bribery trial. “we’ve been going after them for so long on human rights   have been really out there publicly criticizing them   and it hasn’t really changed anything on the ground,” ms. arkin, a senior staff member with the committee, said mr. menendez had told her. instead, mr. menendez said he wanted “to be a little less publicly critical and do more private and quiet engagement,” ms. arkin said. ms. arkin’s testimony came at the start of the seventh week of the senator’s trial in manhattan federal court. mr. menendez, 70, is charged with steering aid and weapons to egypt in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes as part of a wide ranging and yearslong conspiracy. he has strenuously maintained his innocence, and as mr. menendez was leaving court on monday he defended his record related to egypt and its president, abdel fattah el sisi. “no one has been a harsher critic of egypt,” mr. menendez said. “no one has been more persistent a critic of president el sisi on the question of human rights, democracy, rule of law.”

sen. bob menendez stands pictured with his wife nadine, egyptian major general khaled ahmed shawky osman (beside the senator), and businessman wael hana, far left, during a 2021 meeting in the senator’s washington, d.c. office. (courtesy u.s. attorney’s office, southern district of new york) in her work on the senate foreign relations committee, sarah arkin was tasked with briefing senators on global affairs, coordinating their diplomatic meetings and trips, and accompanying them on those encounters both at home and abroad. so when sen. bob menendez began secretly meeting and corresponding with egyptian officials in 2018 outside those traditional channels, she and her colleagues found it “weird,” she testified monday. arkin’s testimony kicked off the seventh week of menendez’s federal bribery trial in manhattan. menendez was chair of the powerful committee from january 2021 until after his indictment in september. “a critical part of my job is preparing him for those meetings,” arkin said. “i didn’t know exactly who he was talking to or what information he had or didn’t have or who he might want to meet or where information was coming from.” prosecutors say that was intentional. they allege new jersey’s senior senator, a democrat, flouted normal protocols because he had an illicit deal with his friend and co defendant wael hana, who gave him cash and gold bars in exchange for the senator currying favor with egyptian officials so that they would grant hana a lucrative monopoly on exporting halal meat there. arkin told jurors she became menendez’s foreign policy adviser in 2016 and in 2018 joined the senate foreign relations committee, where she’s now a senior professional staffer.