Ex-Senator Bob Menendez Requests New Trial Over Improper Evidence Shown to Jury

The former New Jersey senator claims unredacted exhibits improperly presented to jurors violated constitutional protections and prejudiced his bribery conviction.

Bob Menendez, convicted on 16 counts of bribery and corruption, has filed a motion seeking to vacate his conviction and secure a new trial.
Prosecutors admitted that nine exhibits shown to jurors during deliberations contained unredacted material that was barred by a court ruling under the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution.
Menendez's defense argues the unredacted exhibits were the only evidence linking him to military aid to Egypt, a central element of the bribery charges.
Prosecutors maintain the mistake was unintentional and unlikely to have influenced the jury's verdict, asserting no action is necessary despite the error.
Menendez, who resigned from the Senate in August after his conviction, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29, 2025, alongside two co-defendants also seeking new trials.