Sen. Bob Menendez Doesn’t Rule Out Testifying In His Bribery Trial

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Thursday did not rule out the possibility of taking the witness stand in his upcoming bribery trial next week in New York.

The trial is set to begin with jury selection on Monday in the U.S. District Court in Lower Manhattan.

In an interview with CBS News’ Nikole Killion in the halls of Congress, Menendez said he plans to be present in court for all days of the trial “subject to the schedule.”

When asked if he plans to take the witness stand, Menendez replied, “That’s to be determined.”

Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were first charged in September 2023 for accepting bribes, including cash and gold bars, in exchange for the senator using his official position “to seek to protect and enrich” three New Jersey businessmen and benefit the government of Egypt.

Menendez, at the time, chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but stepped down following his indictment in the case. The three businessmen, Will Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, were also charged with taking part in the bribery scheme.

In superseding indictments, Menendez was charged with acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, using his political power to aid the government of Qatar, and obstructing justice for lying to federal prosecutors.

Menendez, his wife, Hana, and Daibes have pleaded not guilty. In March, Uribe reached a plea deal with prosecutors, agreeing to testify in the trial and cooperate in the case.

Nadine Menendez will face trial separately from her husband later in the summer due to a “serious medical condition” raised by her lawyers.

Court documents unsealed last month signaled that the senator may be prepared to blame his wife, saying she withheld information or “otherwise led him to believe that nothing