Politics, tabloid fodder in senator’s trial
NEWARK, N.J. — It’s a tale of international jet-setting, $1,500-a-night hotel rooms and, for good measure, allegations of affairs with models and actresses.
Beyond the tabloid angles, this week’s corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, DN.J., and a wealthy friend promises to put the very business of governing under a microscope — and could eventually lead to a Republican taking over his seat in the deeply divided Senate.
Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday in the trial of Menendez and a Florida ophthalmologist, Dr. Salomon Melgen.
They are charged with a conspiracy in which, prosecutors say, Menendez lobbied for Melgen’s business interests in exchange for political donations and gifts that included luxury vacations, flights on Melgen’s plane and stays at his private villa in an exclusive Dominican Republic resort frequented by celebrities including Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
The indictment also alleges Menendez pressured State Department officials to give visas to three young women described as Melgen’s girlfriends.
The men both pleaded not guilty, and Menendez has vehemently denied the allegations. Defense lawyers say that the trips described as bribes were examples of friends vacationing together, that most of Melgen’s contributions went to committees Menendez didn’t control and that he didn’t control the people he lobbied on Melgen’s behalf.
“I’m looking forward to finally having the opportunity to seek exoneration,” Menendez, who was indicted in April 2015 and has been dogged by some of the allegations since 2013, said recently. “I do believe we’ll be exonerated. I did nothing wrong, and I did nothing illegal.”
Menendez is up for re-election next year. If he is convicted and steps down or is forced out of the Senate by a two-thirds majority vote before Gov. Chris Christie leaves office Jan. 16, the Republican governor would pick a successor.
While a Democrat has a large polling and financial advantage in November’s election to replace Christie, the stakes are high. A Republicanled partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act might have succeeded this summer if Menendez’s seat had flipped before then.