Day twenty-eight

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez's lawyers wrapped up their case Friday after examining four witnesses. The New Jersey senator refused to testify in his own defense, which is his right. Menendez told reporters in his own words on his way out of Daniel Patrick Moynihan federal court in lower Manhattan: “From my perspective, the government has failed to prove every aspect of their case. And for me to testify and give them another chance to essentially make a second plea, go through the whole case again and then make their plea and have a rebuttal at the end, just doesn't make any sense to me at all. So we look forward to the closing arguments, and I expect my lawyers to craft a powerful and compelling plea, draw the evidence where they failed across the board, and get a jury to acquit.”

Co-defendant Fred Daibes' lawyer did not call any witnesses. However, the lawyer for the other co-defendant, halal meat executive Wael Hana, will call a defense witness when the trial resumes on Monday.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Jury deliberations are expected to begin next week.

DAYS SINCE ACCUSATION: 284

DAYS SINCE THE END OF THE LAST CRIMINAL TRIAL AGAINST MENENDEZ: 2,419

MISSED VOTES: 34
The Senate has not voted since June 20, and the session is not expected to resume until next week.

And if you are following: It has been 43 years and 61 days since a U.S. Senator from New Jersey was last convicted of accepting bribes.

NEW JERSEY POLITELY ABSTENDS
— Senator Menendez resigns from defense in federal bribery trial by Dana DiFilippo of the New Jersey Monitor: “Sen. Bob Menendez told the judge Wednesday that he would not defend himself, in his first words in court since his bribery trial began in Manhattan federal court eight weeks ago, and ended his defense after just two days of witnesses testifying in his favor. 'I do not intend to take the stand at this time,' New Jersey's senior senator told Judge Sidney H. Stein, assuring the juror he had discussed the matter 'at length' with his lawyers…. After testimony from the senator's sister and sister-in-law captivated jurors Monday, Wednesday was a disappointing end for the senator's defense in a trial that was supposed to have concluded a week ago. Stein and lawyers for all three defendants have increasingly expressed concern about “losing jurors” as the trial has lagged… Stein reiterated his frequent promises to speed up proceedings on Wednesday, telling Hana's lawyer Lawrence Lustberg that he will not wait for a witness Lustberg plans to call to the stand on Monday — who is now stuck in Egypt awaiting a visa. “We're all going to be as efficient as we can with this jury. I'm not going to delay things significantly because of this issue,” Stein said. “The rule in my court is: If you don't have a witness, rest.”

CRITCHELY: MENENDEZ DIDN’T HAVE TO INTERVENE BECAUSE GREWAL HAD ‘WEAK CASES’
More from DiFilippo: “The jury also heard recorded video testimony from attorney Michael Critchley, who represented the owner of a trucking company in an insurance fraud case brought by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. Prosecutors said Hana and co-defendant Jose Uribe bribed Menendez to prevent prosecutors from prosecuting E&K Trucking owner Elvis Parra… Critchley testified that Menendez called him in March 2019 to complain that Parra's case was 'an abuse of law enforcement,' and the men agreed that the Attorney General's Office was being used by insurance companies to collect private debts. Under Weitzman's questioning, Critchley said the senator had done nothing 'inappropriate or improper' and that he had occasionally spoken to Menendez about criminal cases that had made the news. Parra eventually agreed to a deal that included a suspended sentence with no prison time. But Critchley said the offer was made because prosecutors had “weak evidence” and not, as prosecutors claim, because Menendez had spoken on the phone and met with then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. The deal with Uribe required the senator to “cease and stop all investigations.”

AND NOW THE END IS NEAR
— Menendez defense rests without Senator's testimony by Benjamin Weiser and Tracey Tully of the New York Times: “After calling just four witnesses, lawyers for Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey concluded their arraignment late Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Manhattan, setting the stage for jurors to begin deliberations early next week in his trial on international bribery conspiracy charges.”

It is not unusual to go out at any time
— Bob Menendez's defense rests without the New Jersey Senator testifying in the bribery trial by Caitlin Yilek of CBS News: “A handful of witnesses have testified in his favor, compared to the 30 called by the prosecution during the trial, which has so far spanned eight weeks. Menendez's defense called his sister and his wife's sister, Nadine Menendez, as witnesses on Monday, seeking to show that it was not unusual for the couple to keep gold and large amounts of cash in their home.”

* Senator Bob Menendez refuses to testify in bribery trial, defense rests

* Bob Menendez's lawyers bring their family to discuss his defense in trial
* Bob Menendez says he did not testify because prosecutors could not prove the bribery charge against him

* Senator Bob Menendez resigns from defense in federal bribery trial

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