{"id":2294553,"date":"2024-07-14T10:24:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T14:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-moments-from-bob-menendezs-bribery-and-corruption-trial-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-14T10:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T14:26:47","slug":"top-moments-from-bob-menendezs-bribery-and-corruption-trial-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-moments-from-bob-menendezs-bribery-and-corruption-trial-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Top moments from Bob Menendez\u2019s bribery and corruption trial &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftop-moments-from-bob-menendezs-bribery-and-corruption-trial-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2294553&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Ez was indicted on charges that he acted as a foreign agent for Egypt. Prosecutors presented evidence that he didn&#8217;t disclose \u200ctrips\u2063 and free flights provided by a wealthy eye doctor friend in Florida who was reportedly seeking his help with visas for friends and family.\u200b The government believes Menendez began throwing around his weight on Capitol\u200c Hill in exchange for gifts, vacations, and campaign contributions. At the time of the indictment, senior Justice Department officials accused the senator of \u200ctrading his office and political influence for gifts that included flights on \u200ca private jet, first-class flights, and trips to luxury hotels.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The trial <\/h2>\n<p>The trial was complex and featured testimony from\u2063 a parade of witnesses, some\u200d of who were granted immunity. The pattern that emerged was\u2063 of Menendez using his office to \u2062help a wealthy Florida eye doctor in exchange for gifts and lavish vacations. \u200dProsecutors also\u200d said Menendez accepted nearly $1 million worth of gifts and campaign contributions from\u200d Dr. Salomon Melgen since the early 2000s. \u2062Menendez was indicted alongside him on\u200b charges \u200cthat he conspired\u2062 to commit bribery, wire fraud, and honest services fraud, among other charges. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bribery <\/h2>\n<p>The bribery charges focus on Melgen \u200bgiving Menendez \u200bcash, trips, and a\u2064 stay at his resort villa in \u2062the Dominican Republic. The government claims Menendez\u200b tried to influence the executive branch on behalf of Melgen, including helping secure visas for several of the doctor\u2019s friends and helping him \u200dget a port security contract in the \u200bDominican Republic.\u2062 Prosecutors believe Melgen gave Menendez $20,000\u200d in campaign contributions ahead of his 2012 Senate reelection campaign. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The defense <\/h2>\n<p>Throughout the trial, Menendez \u2064has maintained his innocence, arguing that he \u200bwas simply advocating on behalf of \u200da longtime friend and that the gifts he received were a result of their friendship, not bribery. His lawyers have said that Menendez&#8217;s relationship with Melgen was based on longstanding friendship and nothing more. The defense has \u2064also argued that Menendez has a\u200b history of advocating for policy changes that could hurt Melgen, such as opposing a new port security contract in the Dominican Republic that would financially benefit Melgen. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The consequences <\/h2>\n<p>If\u2064 convicted, \u200dMenendez \u2064faces the possibility of spending up to 20 years in prison. In addition to prison time,\u2062 he could also be forced to \u200bforfeit any ill-gotten gains and pay fines.\u2063 The trial has attracted\u200c national attention, as it is rare for \u200da sitting U.S. senator to face such serious corruption charges. \u200dThe trial is seen as a test of the Justice Department&#8217;s ability to hold powerful elected officials\u200b accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">\n<div class=\"tdb-search-form-inner\"><input class=\"tdb-head-search-form-input\" placeholder=\" \" type=\"text\" value name=\"s\" autocomplete=\"off\"><button class=\"wpb_button wpb_btn-inverse btn tdb-head-search-form-btn\" title=\"Search\" type=\"submit\"><span>Search<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Top moments from Bob Menendez\u2019s bribery and corruption trial<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> <a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/barnini-chakraborty\/\">Barnini Chakraborty<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-14T10:13:11-04:00\">July 14, 2024 10:13 am<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1653805\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bribery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"bribery \">bribery <\/a>and corruption case against Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bob-menendez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sen. Bob Menendez\">Bob Menendez<\/a> (D-NJ) has featured everything from gold bars to meat monopolies, silver bells to Cuban quirks, Mercedes convertibles to Egyptian camels. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3001819\/bob-menendez-corruption-trial-everything-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"The trial\">The trial<\/a> took nine weeks. It was complex and delved into serious charges against the longtime lawmaker, his wife, two New Jersey businessmen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3008005\/bob-menendez-bribery-trial-key-players\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"The trial\">on\u00a0trial with him<\/a>, Wael Hana and real estate developer\u00a0Fred Daibes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., enters federal court in New York, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo\/Pamela Smith)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Menendez, once the chairman of the powerful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate Foreign Relations Committee<\/a>, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-sdny\/pr\/us-senator-robert-menendez-his-wife-and-three-new-jersey-businessmen-charged-bribery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">indicted<\/a> on 16 counts, including bribery, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-antonio-delgado-named-ny-lieutenant-gov-replaces-democrat-who-was-indicted\/\" title=\"Rep. Antonio Delgado Named NY Lieutenant Gov, Replaces Democrat Who Was Indicted\">honest services wire fraud<\/a>, extortion, obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, and conspiracy. If convicted, he could spend up to 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors have shown jurors hundreds of text messages, emails,\u00a0and photographs of the $480,000 in cash and gold bars that were found in a 2022 raid of the New Jersey home of Menendez and his wife, Nadine. <\/p>\n<p>They have also called dozens of witnesses in an attempt to pin the blame on Menendez,\u00a0including Jose Uribe,\u00a0a New Jersey businessman who pleaded guilty to bribing Menendez and his wife with a Mercedes-Benz convertible. <\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors spent five hours on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3073642\/prosecutors-menendez-put-power-up-for-sale-closing-arguments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">closing arguments<\/a>, while the senator\u2019s defense lawyers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3075490\/bob-menendez-lawyer-tells-jurors-no-direct-evidence-linking-senator-bribes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stretched theirs<\/a> to nearly six. <\/p>\n<p>Deliberations began Friday afternoon.\u00a0The jurors, six women and six men who are racially diverse and vary in age from 27 to 68\u00a0were sent home shortly after 5 p.m. without reaching a verdict. They will\u00a0resume deliberations on Monday. <\/p>\n<p>Menendez, 70, left the courthouse, telling reporters, \u201cI have faith in God, and in the jury.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The trial taking place in a\u00a0Manhattan federal courtroom isn\u2019t Menendez\u2019s first one. <\/p>\n<p>In 2017, he dodged conviction on a laundry list of other corruption charges when the jury could not decide on a verdict. <\/p>\n<p>Here are the top five moments from Menendez\u2019s latest trial.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ringing the bell<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jose Uribe leaves Manhattan federal court, Friday, June 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Uribe is a New Jersey businessman who admitted to bribing Menendez by making payments on a Mercedes-Benz convertible for his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marriage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wife<\/a>, Nadine Menendez. In exchange, the senator was supposed to kill an insurance fraud investigation looking into his son and a family friend. <\/p>\n<p>Uribe told jurors he directly asked the senator for help on Sept. 5, 2019 and that Menendez said he would \u201clook into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Uribe met Menendez at the home of his then-girlfriend Nadine\u2019s home in Englewood Cliffs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/New-Jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>New Jersey<\/a>. Menendez was allegedly holding court at a table in the back patio, puffing on a cigar, sipping a glass of Grand Manier, and summoning his future wife with a tiny silver bell.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMon amour, mon amour, please come here,\u201d he said before ringing the bell to call her. <\/p>\n<p>After she rushed in, he asked for paper. Uribe wrote down the names of people being investigated, Menendez took a puff from his cigar, folded the piece of paper with the names, and put it into his pants pocket.<\/p>\n<p>The bell and the \u201cmon amour\u201d underscored the peculiar relationship between the now-married couple.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez\u2019s defense strategy has largely been to blame his wife. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lawyers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lawyers<\/a> claim he was lovestruck and didn\u2019t know what she was up to.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors pushed back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s not a puppet having his strings pulled by someone that he summons with a bell,\u201d Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni said during closing arguments. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Egypt <\/h2>\n<p>Menendez has been accused of conspiring to act as an agent of the Egyptian government while he held a powerful role in shaping U.S. foreign policy.<\/p>\n<p>According to the indictment, shortly after Nadine Menendez began dating the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>senator<\/a> in 2018, she worked with Hana to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials\u00a0to Menendez. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose introductions helped establish a corrupt\u00a0agreement in which Hana, with assistance from Daibes and Uribe, provided\u00a0bribes to Menendez and Nadine Menendez in exchange for Menendez\u2019s actions to benefit Egypt and Hana, among others,\u201d according to the indictment. <\/p>\n<p>Menendez allegedly provided\u00a0Egyptian officials with information regarding the number and nationality of people\u00a0 serving at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Egypt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Egypt<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p>Without telling his staff or the State Department that he was doing so, Menendez texted the information to Nadine Menendez, who forwarded it to Hana, who forwarded it to an Egyptian government official. Menendez also ghost-wrote a letter on behalf of Egypt to other\u00a0senators advocating for them to release a hold on $300 million in aid to Egypt.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMenendez sent this ghost-written letter to Nadine Menendez, who forwarded it to Hana, who sent it to Egyptian officials,\u201d prosecutors claimed.  <\/p>\n<p>Sarah Arkin, a former senior aide who worked for Menendez while he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, testified about the senator\u2019s \u201cunusual\u201d behavior about Egypt and a trip there during a time when prosecutors claim he was taking bribes to help the country obtain more military aid. <\/p>\n<p>Arkin said she was usually involved in meetings Menendez had with foreign officials in North Africa and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Middle-East\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Middle East<\/a> but became worried when she noticed he was having conversations alone with Egyptian officials that weren\u2019t on the books. <\/p>\n<p>In 2019, Arkin testified Menendez told her he wanted to be less publicly critical of the country that has a history of human rights abuses. <\/p>\n<p>Arkin also testified that Menendez in March 2018 handed another staffer a handwritten invitation for two men to visit his office:\u00a0Egyptian defense attach\u00e9 in Washington, Maj. Gen. Khaled Shawky, and Hana. When the meeting took place, Menendez\u2019s new girlfriend, Nadine, also attended.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nadine Menendez<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nadine Menendez, wife of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., leaves Manhattan federal court, Thursday, March. 21, 2024. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of the stars of the trial, who never stepped foot in the courtroom, was Nadine Menendez. <\/p>\n<p>The strongest pillar of the senator\u2019s defense strategy has been to blame her.<\/p>\n<p>From the\u00a0start, his lawyers portrayed her as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>woman<\/a> who lured the senator in like\u00a0some sort of femme fatale and got him to commit federal crimes to feed her appetite of living the luxe life. <\/p>\n<p>In the government\u2019s rebuttal, prosecutor Daniel Richenthal took aim at the defense\u2019s strategy to shift blame. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you going to accept\u00a0that there was a secret plan to dupe Sen. Menendez,\u201d Richenthal asked the jury. \u201cThat his wife cooked up a scheme to secretly collect money and gold by invoking his name with two men, one of whom was his close friend, and he never learned about it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cLet\u2019s be clear about what that means. It means that she duped her husband \u2014 her boyfriend and now husband \u2014 an experienced public official, one of the most powerful people in the entire U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Congress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Congress<\/a> for five years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nadine Menendez was arrested and charged alongside her husband. She was supposed to be one of his co-defendants but had her trial delayed as she recovers from breast cancer. She has pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">It\u2019s a Cuban thing<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This image provided by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s office, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, in New York, shows two of the gold bars found during a search by federal agents of Sen. Bob Menendez\u2019s home and safe deposit box. (U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Investigators found more than a dozen gold bars during a June 2022 search of Menendez\u2019s home.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez claimed he had them because his Cuban heritage has given him PTSD. Specifically, he suffered from \u201cintergenerational post-traumatic stress disorder\u201d because of his parents\u2019 experience in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Cuba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Cuba<\/a>, with confiscated property, before he was born.<\/p>\n<p>He also said they were tied to his father\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>Menendez \u201cexperienced trauma when his father, a compulsive gambler, died by suicide after Senator Menendez eventually decided to discontinue paying off his father\u2019s gambling debts,\u201d a court filing reads.<\/p>\n<p>The senator, after charges were filed against him last year, said stashing gold bars and cash was common among immigrant families in case of \u201cemergencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His sister, Caridad Gonzalez, 80, testified to this as well. <\/p>\n<p>She told the jury her family was forced to leave everything behind when they fled Cuba and that the only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>money<\/a> they had was what her father hid in the false bottom of a grandfather clock.<\/p>\n<p>She insisted that Cubans often hid cash at home\u00a0because they were distrustful of the banks and government. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were afraid of losing what they worked so hard for,\u201d Gonzales, the first witness to testify for the defense, said. <\/p>\n<p>She added that her aunt had $60,000 in a bag in the basement of her home, which was only discovered after there was a fire. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meat monopoly <\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wael Hana leaves the federal courthouse in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo\/Seth Wenig)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hana, a failed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>businessman<\/a>, is accused of capitalizing\u00a0on his friendship with the Menendezes and his ties to the Egyptian government to launch himself into a position where he made millions from running a halal meat monopoly. <\/p>\n<p>One of the government\u2019s first witnesses, James Bret Tate, a U.S. diplomat based in\u00a0Cairo, told jurors how halal meat certification ended up in the hands of a single company run by Hana. <\/p>\n<p>It was peculiar that Hana, a Coptic Christian, was even able\u00a0to secure a monopoly in the halal meat market, he said. Halal meat adheres to Islamic law as defined in the Koran and involves a specific form of slaughtering animals.<\/p>\n<p>The meat market had been operated by several companies in the past, which kept prices stable, but after Hana took over, prices jumped. <\/p>\n<p>Tate\u00a0testified the cost of certifying a container the size of an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-menendez-trial-hears-how-he-was-responsible-for-halal-meat-monopoly\/\" title=\"Bob Menendez trial reveals his role in halal meat monopoly\">18-wheel truck carrying 23 tons<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/meat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>meat<\/a> rose from $200-$400 a container to more than $5,000 for the same service after Hana\u2019s company gained its monopoly. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER \">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fee increased drastically,\u201d Tate said. <\/p>\n<p>He added that he had been trying to increase the number of companies that could certify the meat and export to Egypt but was stopped in his tracks and informed it would all be going through one company.  <\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1653805\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1653805\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The trial of Senator Bob Menendez has been filled with various dramatic moments, including allegations of bribery and corruption involving gold bars, meat monopolies, and Egyptian ties. The trial lasted nine weeks and involved serious charges against Menendez, his wife, and two New Jersey businessmen. If convicted, Menendez could face up to 20 years in prison. The prosecution presented evidence such as text messages, emails, and photographs of cash and gold bars found in Menendez&#8217;s home. The defense strategy has focused on blaming Menendez&#8217;s wife, Nadine, portraying her as the mastermind behind the alleged crimes. The trial also delved into Menendez&#8217;s alleged involvement in acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, providing information to Egyptian officials and ghost-writing letters on their behalf. The trial has highlighted the complex and controversial nature of the case against Menendez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2294554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/menendez.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34429,20427,8773,4853],"class_list":["post-2294553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bob-menendez","tag-bribery","tag-corruption","tag-trial"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/menendez.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}