Bob Menendez was elected to his third term in the United States Senate in 2018, but his future political career was already looking dicey as he was already in the middle of his first criminal trial on corruption charges a year before that election day.
That trial ended when the jury failed to reach a consensus on the verdict. Prosecutors wound up dismissing the charges, and voters in New Jersey sent Menendez back to the Senate on what was essentially a party-line vote. But there was, nonetheless, a metaphorical storm cloud hanging over the victory.
In a text message sent that night, which has been entered into evidence in Menendez’s new corruption trial, Menendez spoke about his break-up with Nadine Arslanian with her sister. He revealed that was haunted and unable to get past an instance in their relationship when Nadine cheated on him.
Nonetheless, two years later Nadine and Menendez ended up getting married. Despite this, the election-night text throws doubt on the prosecution’s case, as it depends upon Nadine and Menendez conspiring together exactly when the text shows their relationship shattering.
The defense in Menendez’s current corruption trial called his own sister, Nadine’s sister, and a forensic accountant to testify. Between their testimonies, the defense started to fill out their alibi that Nadine and Menendez were not together during the alleged conspiracy, and also showing that it was not uncommon for both of them to keep cash and gold around their home.
The aim of the senator’s defense team is to discredit the prosecution’s contention that, from 2018 through early 2022, the pair conspired to sell the senator’s office for stacks of cash and gold bars.
Despite the defense’s strong showing, prosecutors were able to poke holes in the accounts the witnesses offered, and these holes may turn out to be moral wounds for the defense, including demonstrating that the forensic accountant may have fabricated some of his data.
