The corruption trial of Senator Bob Menendez and Dr. Salomon Melgen is underway in federal district court in Newark, New Jersey. The parties reportedly expect the trial to last well into November. There don’t appear to be any big surprises or bombshells so far. As expected, the trial will come down to whether the government can establish the corrupt intent necessary to prove bribery. The defense claims that anything Melgen and Menendez did for each other was simply out of friendship. The government, on the other hand, charges that Menendez acted on Melgen’s behalf in exchange for extravagant gifts and hefty campaign donations. The gifts from Melgen included more than a dozen trips on his private jet to take Menendez back and forth to Melgen's luxury villa in the Dominican Republic, repeated free stays at that villa, a three-day vacation at a luxury hotel in Paris, and more than $750,000 in campaign donations. In return, the government alleges Menendez worked to resolve Melgen's multi-million dollar billing dispute with Medicare, lobbied the State Department on Melgen’s behalf in connection with a contract dispute, and helped secure visas for three of Melgen’s girlfriends to travel to the United States. No one really disputes that any of this took place. The key issue is why. The defense has repeatedly claimed the defendants' friendship explains all of their behavior, and has suggested that friendship is a “complete defense” to the charges of bribery. If the defendants acted solely out of friendship that would indeed negate corrupt intent and defeat a charge of bribery. But the notion that the mere existence of a friendship is a “complete defense” to bribery is nonsense. Friends can commit crimes together. I can rob a bank with my friend, and if my friend is a United States Senator I can pay him a bribe to do something for me. The government is not denying that the two are friends. They simply argue that friendship alone cannot explain what happened here. In fact, the friendship can actually be turned to the prosecutors’ advantage: “Of course they are friends, ladies and gentlemen. Who else would you trust with these kinds of secrets? Engaging in corrupt behavior with a stranger is too risky.”
The Limits of Friendship: Menendez Trial Update
The Limits of Friendship: Menendez Trial…
The Limits of Friendship: Menendez Trial Update
The corruption trial of Senator Bob Menendez and Dr. Salomon Melgen is underway in federal district court in Newark, New Jersey. The parties reportedly expect the trial to last well into November. There don’t appear to be any big surprises or bombshells so far. As expected, the trial will come down to whether the government can establish the corrupt intent necessary to prove bribery. The defense claims that anything Melgen and Menendez did for each other was simply out of friendship. The government, on the other hand, charges that Menendez acted on Melgen’s behalf in exchange for extravagant gifts and hefty campaign donations. The gifts from Melgen included more than a dozen trips on his private jet to take Menendez back and forth to Melgen's luxury villa in the Dominican Republic, repeated free stays at that villa, a three-day vacation at a luxury hotel in Paris, and more than $750,000 in campaign donations. In return, the government alleges Menendez worked to resolve Melgen's multi-million dollar billing dispute with Medicare, lobbied the State Department on Melgen’s behalf in connection with a contract dispute, and helped secure visas for three of Melgen’s girlfriends to travel to the United States. No one really disputes that any of this took place. The key issue is why. The defense has repeatedly claimed the defendants' friendship explains all of their behavior, and has suggested that friendship is a “complete defense” to the charges of bribery. If the defendants acted solely out of friendship that would indeed negate corrupt intent and defeat a charge of bribery. But the notion that the mere existence of a friendship is a “complete defense” to bribery is nonsense. Friends can commit crimes together. I can rob a bank with my friend, and if my friend is a United States Senator I can pay him a bribe to do something for me. The government is not denying that the two are friends. They simply argue that friendship alone cannot explain what happened here. In fact, the friendship can actually be turned to the prosecutors’ advantage: “Of course they are friends, ladies and gentlemen. Who else would you trust with these kinds of secrets? Engaging in corrupt behavior with a stranger is too risky.”