In
Menendez Trial
Defense Says
Only Inference
Hana Cites
Egypt Rules on
Halal
by
Matthew Russell Lee
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
July 10 – Amid reports of
investigation against Sen.
Robert Menendez for taking
gold bars, Inner City Press'
sources on September 21 it to
expect on Friday, September 22
an appearance in Federal court
in Manhattan by Menendez and
his wife Nadine Arslanian. This
scoop
was true.
Later a
superseder was unveiled,
including charges of bribes to
act for Qatar...
On April 11, 2024
after Nadine Menendez and then
the government asked for
delay, to July or undefined,
Judge Stein severed her case
and reaffirmed May 6, Inner
City Press thread
On Sunday night
April 14 the US wrote in again
asking for a delay to July,
six page letter on Patreon here.
But Judge Stein
told the parties to confer and
report by April 16 at 1 pm.
Then he set an April 17
conference, which Inner City
Press live tweeted and dubbed
"Berate-gate," thread
On May 13, jury
selection began - but did not
finish. Abit later, Menendez
got into an car with FOP NJ
plates.
On May 14 jury
selection continued but was
not yet completed, from the
ending, thread
Late on May 14,
the US Attorney's Office filed
opposition to slides the
defense wants to use in its
opening arguments, including
quotes from Colin Powell and
MLK, and when Nadine came into
possession of gold - full
letter on Patreon here
Inner City Press
live tweeted jury selection
and then opening arguments here,
then filmed Bob's exit (he
said he thought it went well
and that his guy did great).
On May 21, the US
Attorney's Office put on Wael
Hana's lawyer, then a US State
Department official working on
Congressional approval (or
holds) on arms transfer to
Egypt, thread here.
On May 23, with
the trial in haitus, docketed
was Menendez' lawyers
opposition to quashing his
subpoena for Jose Uribe's
attorney proffer and
communications with SDNY
prosecutors, filing on Patreon
here
On May 29, Inner
City Press live tweeted,
omitting Morton's steakhouse
but including this
On May 30,
Menendez's lawyer's (long)
cross, including this.
On May 31,
starting 1 pm, the agent was
cross examined, and then USDA
Ted McKinney on direct, thread
After the
trial day, Inner City Press
filed Menendez' walk to his
Jersey-plated car; asked why
he called McKinney he said,
Wait for the cross
[examination].
Nadine Menendez
hired a new lawyer, who
previously represented Sydney
Powell among others. Then
this: "ORDER as to Nadine
Menendez: At the request of
the defendant and with the
consent of the government
[Doc. No. 434], the status
conference is adjourned from
June 10 to June 12 at 5 :00
p.m.(Signed by Judge Sidney H.
Stein on 6/3/2024)."
On June 4 Judge
Stein dockted a partially
redacted Order in which he
denied Menendez's request that
the prosecutors give him
impeachment material about a
Confidential Human Source they
are not going to call as a
witness - but Menendez said he
will.
On June 5, Inner
City Press live tweeted - and
afterward asked Menendez a
question. Thread.
On June 6, after
more cross of Agent Graves,
Gurbir Grewal testified, thread
On June 7, after
an FBI fingerprint expert,
cooperator Jose Uribe, Inner
City Press live tweeted, thread
On June 10, Uribe
finished his direct
examination around 4 pm, then
counsel for Hana, not yet
Menendez, began cross
examination, thread.
On June 11, Uribe
was cross examined - though
not on the "strip club issue"
after which out on Worth
Street Menendez decried
Uribe's crimes. Thread
On June 12, after
the end of Uribe (including
drunk driving and the "little
bell"), US Attorney of NJ
Sellinger took the stand, thread.
On June 13, trial
day - and next day - was
canceled by Daibes calling in
with COVID: thread.
And then, book:
GOLD BAR BAR Menendez Trial I,
on Amazon here.
On June 18, after
Daibes' COVID, things resumed
with Sellinger, followed by
Matt Soliman.
On June 20,
alongside an FBI agent summary
witness, a prosecution office
witness out of order, thread.
On June 24,
Menendez's staffer Sarah Arkin
took the stand, from the thread
On June 25, Sarah
Arkin finished up, including
about upcoming job at State
Department. Then, a currency
(and money laundering) expert
from the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York. From the thread
On June 26, there
testimony about currency, and
then a jocular Armenian
jeweler, from the thread
On June 27, the
Senate Ethics Committee
director, then a cell site
expert, from the thread
On June 28, the
last US witness, on Menendez's
M&T account, and gold in
Nadine's Chase Bank safety
deposit box, thread
On July 1 the
defense case began, his and
Nadine's sisters amid a flurry
of motions, thread
On July 2, at 5
instead of 4 pm, rapid rulings
on exhibits to set up
Menendez's defense resting on
Friday, thread
On July 3, Team
Menendez rested (then outside
court Menendez said the US had
not proved its case so he
didn't testify), thread
On July 8, after
a Hana witness and charge
conference, half of the
prosecutors' closing, thread
On July 9, the
rest of the prosecution's
summation, then Menendez's
lawyer Adam Fee, not yet
finishing (and Menendez silent
on his way to his car), from
the thread
On July 10, more
of Menendez's closing, then
all of Hana's, and the first
part of Daibes - then on the
sidewalk, Menendez himself
spoke of the government's
"lies" - thread:
Jury entering!
Judge: Mr. Fee, you may
proceed and conclude your
summation. Menendez's lawyer
Adam Fee: This case dies here
today. This case is hollow.
Jose Uribe is on the trash
heap of witness. He lied a lot
in his life.
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: The prosecutors love that
little bell story. We'll get
back to that. But at the
restaurant, even according to
Uribe, there was not a work
with Bob about bribes, only "I
saved your ass" - not even
about what. Menendez's
lawyer Fee: I think Jose
[Uribe] knows Bob is innocent.
But he needs the government to
need him. It has to be
one-on-one. What does the
evidence actually show about
the story of Jose Uribe? He
runs an insurance business in
violation of the law...
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Uribe testified about the
fundraiser, but his story
shifted... He had no agreement
with Bob. He told Bob about
the Elvis Parra case, 100 jobs
on the line, Latinos. Bob
represents them.
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Doug Anton was being
hired to kill the
investigations. Doug Anton
emailed Hana for documents. Do
you know who provides the
documents? GX 1303. Jose
Uribe. And Nadine was still
involved with Anton, abusive
relationship
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Bob broke up with Nadine
because she was still with
Doug Anton, this horrible
ex-boyfriend. They claim the
reason they got Find My iPhone
is a distraction. They didn't
mention Nadine's
hospitalization, restraining
order. We brought it out
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Uribe was going out to
dinner and getting drunk. Take
that into account when
considering his memory of
events. Jose Uribe invited
himself over, have already
been drinking. Bob has this
drunk, maybe high, guy he
barely knows: that's it
Judge: Let's take a break.
They're back
(well, not the jury) Judge
Stein: I will tell the jurors
that there is no evidence in
the record that
hospitalization and abuse is
relevant to the charges. How
much longer Mr. Fee?
Menendez's lawyer Fee:
Lunchtime. Judge: Bring the
jury in. Menendez's
lawyer Fee: Look at this
meeting, photo taken by
staffer Sarah Arkin
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: These are common-place
events being distorted. As to
the halal job, Bob helped
Nadine get on Legal Zoom. How
was he supposed to know if
these were bribe payments? Why
would you write a consultant's
agreement and pay by
check?
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: The US sale of weapons to
Egypt went on before Bob and
will continue after Bob. It's
like when Ukraine's Zelensky
came to DC -
AUSA: Objection!
Judge: I'll allow it.
Fee: Countries
ask us for weapons
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Of course the USDA wants
trade, and more US halal
certifiers. Bob wanted to
protect a constituent. You
want politicians who have
friends, not like Fox News
anchors... Nothing unlawful
about helping a friend
Menendez's lawyer Fee: On
Qatar, they don't have anyone
testifying that Qatar tells
Bob, "You have to do it"
[praise Qatar]. There's the
statement about Qatar actions
in Yemen, then Afghanistan,
then Bob's trip to Qatar. But
Qatar got praise from the UN
WFP
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Afghanistan? The US left
and there was chaos, sure Bob
praised Qatar. Others did
too.... From Daibes, there is
cash and gold, but they cannot
connect that, they don't have
that connective
tissue... Menendez's
lawyer Fee: This case dies
here. Bob should be acquitted
due to the lack of evidence.
Bob skipping Sellinger's
investiture? It proves
nothing. Vikas Khanna, brother
of a Congressman who knows
Bob, was on the case, but
Sellinger is still in the
office
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: I believe- Judge: Don't
put yourself up. It's about
the evidence, not what you
believe. Fee: What he said.
Let's be real, they haven't
proved what the gold and cash
were for. The obstruction
count is about Bob's prior
lawyers
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: You must acquit Bob. They
don't have any evidence of any
bribe. Just inferences. Do
your duty as jurors.
Sellinger? It was evidence of
Bob's innocence. Uribe had no
idea if Bob did anything
wrong. Grewal? Bob had no
authority over him
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Bob had no idea Nadine
was getting help with her
mortgage and car payments.
Nadine wanted to get back to a
comfortable life - she
portrayed her life as rosy,
that's the thing with
Instagram
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: This is not shifting
blame onto anyone... Bob is
not a man who cares about
Mercedes. He cares about
diversity. This case is
painfully thin. We have
disproven these allegations.
No one witnessed anything.
You've the only thing that
matters
Menendez's
lawyer Fee: This is a
salacious story about a
corrupt politician - but it's
not there. Hold them to their
proof, do your patriotic duty.
When you acquit Senator
Menendez, the US wins. We
leave the state to you. Thank
you. Judge: OK, we'll
break.
Now Wael
Hana's lawyer Larry Lustberg:
Egypt chose ISEG Halal - it
was Egypt's choice. Having a
single certifier can be a good
thing. The prosecutors call it
a monopoly, and says
monopolies are always bad. But
it results in uniform
decisions
Hana's lawyer
Lustberg: There was no bribe.
Nadine saying Halal went
through, great 2019 all around
is just her being happy for
Will, and that she might get a
job with him. Will paying her
mortgage, it was a loan - a
balloon payment. Zero
interest
Hana's lawyer
Lustberg: The supposed
forgiveness of the loan
happened two years after
Senator Menendez's call to the
USDA... The so-called ghost
written letter it was not
inconsistent with US policy.
GX C301. Maybe it was unusual.
But it was a year before
monopoly
Hana's
lawyer Lustberg (still going)
The US described Will's
business as "a monopoly
dropped into the nap of an
unqualified person by a single
decision of the Egyptian
business." This is not fair -
it disrespects the Egyptian
government.
Daibes' lawyer de
Castro: Summing up last...
It's not how long you talk.
[He will continue tomorrow -
as will we
More on X for
Subscribers here
and Substack here
The case is US v.
Menendez, et al., 23-cr-490
(Stein)
More
on Substack here
***
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