First day of Menendez trial ends juror-free

No jurors were chosen Monday in the federal corruption trial of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez.

The veteran Democrat, wearing a suit with a red tie and a Senate pin on his lapel, sat quietly in Manhattan courtroom, only speaking with his lawyers or reading from time to time, during the first day of trial, which ended after dozens of potential jurors were dismissed.

Judge Sidney Stein excused over three dozen people following three hours of questioning them individually with prosecutors and lawyers for the Menendez, 70, who is charged with accepting gold bars, cash and a Mercedes as bribes.

When the possible panelists were brought in, Stein informed them the trial involves a “sitting US senator from the state of

New Jersey” who allegedly agreed “to accept bribes.”

He also told them the trial was slated to last up to seven weeks, prompting many to raise their hands and inform the judge they couldn’t serve for such a long period of time.

Stein and the attorneys

then questioned the prospective jurors one-by-one behind closed doors for an initial screening.

Menendez is charged with wife Nadine and businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and José Uribe in an 18-count indictment alleging a bribery scheme from 2018 through 2022.

In exchange for bribes, Menendez doled out political favors for the governments of Egypt and Qatar, and for the businessmen, prosecutors charge.

Nadine will be tried separately.