The bribery trial of Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey continues as he officially filed to run for re-election to the Senate as an independent today. Menendez had previously announced in March that he would not run as a Democrat but left open the possibility of an independent run if acquitted, which has not happened as the trial is ongoing.
Today, a key witness, Ted McKinney, a former official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, took the stand. McKinney raised concerns about co-defendant Wael Hanna's company having a monopoly on food exports to Egypt. He testified that Senator Menendez had called him, instructing him to stop interfering with the situation, a move McKinney found unprecedented in his experience.
