The jury in U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) bribery trial will have an extra day off to ponder the evidence it has heard so far, with co-defendant and Edgewater developer Fred Daibes testing positive for COVID-19 and the case suspended until Monday.
So far, the trial is in its fifth week, and jurors have heard reams of evidence. The testimony of two top law enforcement officers has especially appeared to carry a lot of weight. Both New Jersey’s former attorney general and its current U.S. attorney told the jury that Menendez had asked for special consideration in separate criminal cases involving two of the co-defendants. Those co-defendants are charged with bribing Menendez for the special treatment.
Menendez’s defense team has stated that he was just providing regular services for a constituent. But at the time, not all agreed, as an assistant with former New Jersey attorney general Gurbir Grewal said of their meeting with Menendez, “Whoa. That was gross.”
The trial, which is already behind schedule, will resume Monday if Daibes is feeling well enough to proceed.
