Embattled Senator Bob Menendez refused to say whether he'll resign if convicted in the bribery trial against him that is set to start on Monday.
Speaking to CNN, the official said he is "looking forward to proving my innocence," after asked for clarity on the matter of his political future. His colleague John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, however, has repeatedly called for him to resign and said that Menendez "won't be around much longer."
The trial against Menendez is set to start with the jury selection. They will analyze the case against him and two New Jersey businessmen, his co-defendants. his wife Nadine has also been accused on the case, but she will face a separate trial.
One reason is an alleged health issue affecting Nadine, another one being the possibility that the senator blames her for the actions that resulted in the charges, presenting communications between the marriage which could show "ways in which she withheld information" or "otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place."
Menendez faces an array of charges alleging that he and his wife Nadine accepted bribes in the form of cash, gold bars and even a luxury car, to help and protect three local businessmen and benefit the governments of Qatar and Egypt. They have also been accused of obstructing the investigation in the case. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The senator recently asked for a psychiatrist to testify about his habit of stockpiling cash, as authorities found almost half a million dollars in envelopes and coats, as well as 13 gold bars worth more than $100,000 in his house.
Rather than the money coming from bribes, Menendez said, he withdrew thousands of dollars each month over the years to have them at hand in case of emergencies. This, he added, has to do with traumatic experiences from his family in Cuba and his father's compulsive gambling habit.
His lawyers added in the letter that the lack of treatment "resulted in a fear of scarcity for the senator and the development of a longstanding coping mechanism of routinely withdrawing and storing cash in his home."
Prosecutors, in turn, have requested the psychiatrist's testimony be rejected. They say the conclusion "does not appear to be the product of any reliable scientific principle or method" and only seeks to gain sympathy from the jury. If she is indeed allowed to take the stand, another psychiatrist should also evaluate Menendez, they added.
Menendez faced numerous calls to resign but has refused to do so, accepting to step down from committee assignments. Instead, he announced that he won't seek reelection as a Democrat and will do as an independent if cleared of his charges by the summer.
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