Defense rests in Menendez trial with no testimony from the man himself

After launching a defense in a historic and sprawling bribery trial, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez’s legal team rested their case Wednesday, opting not to put the embattled legislator on the stand.

Menendez told U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein that he would not testify, allowing the defense to close its case and pave the way for closing arguments, but did provide an unsworn statement after the fact.

"From my perspective, the government has failed to prove every aspect of this case," he told reporters outside a federal courthouse in New York.

The prosecution wrapped its arguments up last Friday after seven weeks of testimony from Menendez’s associates, government officials and investigators, and the chief counsel of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Closing arguments are set to begin next week.

As Politico noted, the defense sketched out a preview of closing statements, hinting that they aimed to place doubt on whether the bribery schemes occurred.

“There’s no direct proof of the schemes alleged,” Menendez attorney Adam Fee reportedly said in a courtroom session without jurors present. “It’s only about the strength of inferences.”

Prosecutors, who told jurors during opening statements that Menendez was a senator “on the take,” painted a vivid picture of a corrupt senator and his wife’s lavish lifestyle, fueled by bribes in exchange for personal and political favors.

Accused of serving as a foreign agent of Egypt in addition to being charged with 16 felonies in 2023 alongside his wife for multiple bribery schemes — including allegedly accepting gold bars and a new car — Menendez gave up his post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after an indictment dropped. He is leaving open a re-election bid.