Menendez a corrupt sellout, fed tells jury

SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ “sold his office for a lifestyle he couldn’t afford” by accepting luxury trips from a wealthy doctor seeking political influence in return, a federal prosecutor told jurors Wednesday during opening statements of the New Jersey Democrat’s corruption trial.

Menendez’s lawyer responded in his opening statement in Newark Federal Court that gifts from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, Menendez’s longtime friend, didn’t equate to a bribery agreement.

Menendez’s meetings with government officials — though they could have aided Melgen’s business interests — were “what members of Congress do” and were meant to influence future policy, he said.

Menendez and Melgen were indicted in 2015 and face multiple fraud and bribery charges in a case that could threaten Menendez’s political career and potentially the makeup of a deeply divided U.S. Senate if he’s convicted.

“Not once have I dishonored my public office,” Menendez said on his way into court. Sen. Cory Booker was in court to support him.

Among the gifts prosecutors say Melgen gave Menendez were flights on the doctor’s private jet, vacations at his private villa in the Dominican Republic frequented by celebrities like Beyoncé and JAY-Z, and a three-night stay at a luxury Paris hotel valued at nearly $5,000.