NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City jury finished its first three hours of deliberations Friday without reaching a verdict in the corruption trial of U.S. Sen.
Bob Menendez , who is accused of taking bribes and being a foreign agent for the Egyptian government. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.
J., enters federal court in New York, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) As he left the courthouse and headed to his waiting car, Menendez told reporters: “I have faith in God and in the jury.
” On Friday morning, hours before jurors began deliberating, a buoyant Menendez entered the courtroom singing quietly to himself, keeping up the tune as his lawyers chatted nearby at the defense table. Asked what he was singing, he said it was “a whole medley of songs,” including “Amazing Grace.” Over a nine-week trial, federal prosecutors in New York have sought to convince the jury that the New Jersey Democrat and his wife accepted gold, cash and a Mercedes-Benz convertible from three businessmen from 2018 to 2023 in exchange for Menendez carrying out a variety of corrupt acts.
They say some bribes were for taking actions benefiting the government of Egypt, including speeding the delivery of U.S. military aid.
Prosecutors also say Menendez, 70, tried to interfere with multiple criminal investigations and helped a businessman protect a monopoly awarded by the Egyptian government pertaining to the certification of U.S. meat exports to Egypt.
Menendez's lawyers have argued that the senat.