Prosecutors at trial of Senator Bob Menéndez used his former campaign manager's testimony Tuesday to try to link the Democrat's alleged bribes to the appointment of New Jersey's top prosecutor three years ago.
Michael Soliman, a former political adviser to Menendez, testified immediately after New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger finished. two days on the witness stand in the Manhattan federal court trial that is now in its sixth week.
Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen are on trial on charges alleging the senator accepted gold bullion, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a luxury car from 2018 to 2022 from businessmen in exchange for help- them in their business, even trying to interfere. in court cases.
They have pleaded not guilty. A third businessman pleaded guilty and testified against them. Menendez's wife, Nadine Menendez, has also pleaded not guilty in the case, although his trial has been delayed after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sellinger testified last week that Menendez told him that if he recommended that he be appointed as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, he hoped to take a look at a criminal case against Fred Daibes, a prominent New Jersey real estate developer, because he believed. “he was being treated unfairly.”
Sellinger said he told Menendez the next day that he would have to notify the Justice Department that he might have to recuse himself from the Daibes case because he had worked on a lawsuit while in private practice that was adverse to Daibes.
Menendez then recommended someone else for the job, and Soliman testified Tuesday that a senior Menendez aide told him in December 2020 that the senator and Sellinger “had a falling out.”
Soliman said that after the nomination of the new nominee did not go through after a series of negative news stories about her, Sellinger told her that he wanted the senator to know that he consulted with the Department of Justice and that “the issue ” which he thought would be in the head and in the end he did not demand his recusal.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Richenthal asked Soliman if Menendez expressed any confusion about what “the problem” was when he relayed the conversation to the senator.
“No,” said Soliman.
Soliman, who said he did not know what “the problem” Sellinger had referred to, also said Menendez did not ask any questions about the message Sellinger conveyed.
Sellinger, who is not charged with any crime, was sworn in as U.S. attorney in December 2021 and has served since then.
Sellinger, who testified last week, recalled his conversation with Soliman differently, claiming he told Soliman exactly what he told the senator: that he hoped he could be recused from the Daibes case in because of the civil case he had worked on that was adverse to Daibes. .
Sellinger said he called Menendez in the spring of 2022 to invite him to speak at a public ceremony celebrating Sellinger's appointment as U.S. attorney.
“He said, 'I'm going to pass,'” Sellinger recalled.
Sellinger said the senator then said, “The only thing worse than not having a relationship with the United States attorney is for people to think you have a relationship with the United States attorney and you don't.”
Sellinger testified under cross-examination last week and on Tuesday in ways favorable to the senator, including saying he never believed Menendez had asked him to do anything inappropriate or unethical.
Buoyed by Sellinger's testimony on cross-examination, Menendez left court Tuesday looking upbeat, saying just before getting into his car: “Sellinger made it very clear. He was asked not to do anything wrong. And he didn't do”.
Daibes, who is on trial with Menendez, contracted COVID last week, forcing a three-day delay in a trial expected to stretch into July. After the bank holiday on Wednesday, the trial resumes on Thursday.
