Menendez trial set for May 6

A federal judge Monday set a May 6 trial date for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife Nadine. The pair was indicted last month on federal bribery, fraud and extortion charges.

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein scheduled the jury trial for May 6 to allow prosecutors time to hand over evidence to Menendez, according to Reuters.

The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York has accused Menendez and his wife Nadine of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes from three businessmen in New Jersey in exchange for using the senator’s “power and influence” as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit the businessmen and Egypt’s government.

The FBI discovered nearly $500,000 in cash stuffed in envelopes and hidden in clothing and closets, as well as more than $100,000 in gold bars, at Menendez’s home in a raid last year.

Menendez previously told reporters that the cash found at his home is from his personal savings and was being kept at his home in case of emergency.

Menendez and his wife face three counts, including conspiracy to commit extortion under the color of official right, which is a charge for public officials who take bribes in return for official acts. The couple appeared in court last week, where they pleaded not guilty.

The three businessmen allegedly involved — Wael “Will” Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibe — also face federal charges. Hana pleaded not guilty to two counts last week and was released on bond after depositing $300,000 with the court and agreeing to surrender his passport.

Uribe and Daibe also pleaded not guilty to two counts Wednesday.

Menendez has pushed back against the charges and insists he has no plans to step down from the upper chamber, despite calls from dozens of Democratic colleagues in the Senate and in New Jersey.

The Senate powerbroker has dismissed the charges as “just allegations” and maintains he will be exonerated once the facts are presented.

While not resigning from the Senate entirely, Menendez has stepped down from his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while fighting his legal battle.

This is the second time the lawmaker has faced a federal indictment. The first ended in a mistrial in 2017.