A sitting US senator, Bob Menendez, is set to face a weekslong trial over charges of taking bribes, including gold bars, cash, and a luxury car. The charges allege that Menendez accepted these bribes to help push US aid and weapons to a foreign government and stop a federal case against one of his co-defendants.
Menendez, a New Jersey Democratic senator, faces 16 charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Despite calls for his resignation, Menendez has rejected them and expressed his intention to prove his innocence during the trial.
