Trump circus overshadows Menendez trial
(CNN) -snip- Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial, which began eight days ago in the nearby US District Court, has been an afterthought to just about everyone – Republican, Democrat, hot dog vendor – in this maze of government buildings, bodegas, tiny green parks and chain coffee shops. The New Jersey Democrat has been charged by federal prosecutors with accepting bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars – some of the payments allegedly delivered in the form of gold bars – in exchange for assorted favors for a trio of local businessmen and two foreign governments and then conspiring to cover it up after being indicted.
The 70-year-old has insisted on his innocence, as have his two co-defendants, who have also pleaded not guilty.
In a different place and time, the trial of a sitting member of the US Senate – who until recently chaired the chamber’s powerful Foreign Relations Committee – would dominate the local tabloids, be the center of a national partisan melee and appear, at least occasionally, on the itinerary of Republicans gathering daily about a tenth of a mile away.
But this is 2024, a presidential election year, and Trump – with former fixer Michael Cohen and porn star Stormy Daniels captivating in supporting roles – often feels like the only show in town. So it goes for Menendez, who is likely pleased to have his legal drama playing out in relative obscurity. It’s a similar dynamic for his Democratic colleagues as they navigate the final months of his term and, as most political observers expect, their 51-49 Senate majority.
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