A federal judge shot down Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s legal team’s request Thursday to delay the start of his corruption trial by two months.
Menendez, who was indicted with his wife in September on alleged bribery offenses in the Southern District of New York, is scheduled to appear in court May 6 for his corruption trial. U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein released an order, saying Menendez did not need more time for the trial. (RELATED: Bob Menendez And Wife Indicted On Bribery Offenses)
“The fact that discovery has been voluminous is consistent with the parties’ stated expectations on October 2 and does not justify a two-month adjournment of the schedule,” Stein wrote in the order. “In fact, the volume of discovery material is less than defendants were concerned it was when they sought the adjournment on December 20.”
Menendez was charged with a conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent for Egypt, according to a superseding indictment filed by a federal grand jury in Manhattan. Menendez is accused of acting on behalf of Egypt, allegedly passing on non-public information and doing favors for the foreign country’s government in exchange for bribes.
READ THE ORDER HERE:
The indictment alleges that “Over $480,000 in cash — much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe — was discovered in the home.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Says Bob Menendez Indictment Was A Scheduled Attack Over Relationship With Dems, Biden)
The Menendez indictment also alleges Menendez, who was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time, provided sensitive U.S. Government information to Egypt. (RELATED: John Fetterman Calls On Senate To Expel Bob Menendez)
Menendez has continued to deny the allegations.