Internet slams Bob Menendez for accusing wife Nadine of stashing gold bars at home without his knowledge

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In a dramatic courtroom showdown, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez's attorney vehemently denied his client's involvement in a corruption scheme, instead pointing fingers at Menendez's wife, Nadine Menendez, for stashing gold bars in their home without his knowledge.

During the opening statements at Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, May 15, attorney Avi Weitzman portrayed Nadine as the mastermind behind the alleged hidden trove, claiming that she "sidelined" her husband in her pursuit of personal gain.

 Bob Menendez's denies his involvement

“Where were the gold bars found? [The] gold bars were found in a locked closet. It is Nadine’s closet,” Weitzman declared, presenting a photo of a closet "filled with Nadine's clothes" where the gold bars were discovered.

“The senator did not know the gold bars were there,” Weitzman emphasized to jurors during the remarks. “[Nadine] kept Bob sidelined. Nadine had these relationships long before she met Bob,” he added.

Federal authorities raided the Menendez couple's Englewood Cliffs, NJ home in June 2022, unearthing 13 gold bars valued at over $150,000 and nearly $500,000 in cash. Prosecutors assert that these assets were part of a corrupt scheme dating back to 2018, alleging that Menendez abused his political influence for personal gain.

Assistant US Attorney Lara Pomerantz delivered scathing remarks, accusing Menendez of prioritizing greed over public service. “This case is about a public official who put greed first. Who put his power up for sale,” she said in her opening remarks. “This was not politics as usual. This was politics for profit.”

Pomerantz insinuated that Menendez could be bought with gold bars.

“He was powerful. He was also corrupt. And what was his price? Gold bars,” she asserted. “The scheme filled his pockets, it filled his wife’s pockets, and it fed their greed,” she added. “Menendez abused his positions to feed his own greed and to keep his wife happy.”

The prosecution further alleged that Menendez used his wife as an intermediary to conceal his involvement in the bribery scheme, avoiding written communication to evade detection. “He was careful not to send too many texts,” Pomerantz told the jury. “He used Nadine as his go-between to deliver messages to and from the people paying bribes.”

However, Weitzman vehemently contested these allegations, insisting that Menendez was merely fulfilling his duties as a public servant and engaging in diplomacy. He portrayed Nadine as a "beautiful, tall, international woman" with a cultural affinity for gold, suggesting that the gold bars found in their home were inherited from her family.

“It’s cultural. They like to give gold and other precious metals as gifts,” Weitzman insisted, adding, “The evidence will show that Nadine’s family had a lot of gold."

Weitzman emphasized the couple's separate lives, including distinct financial arrangements and personal affairs. He argued that Nadine "kept him in the dark about what she was asking others to give her,” the lawyer claimed.

The lawyer also provided an alternative explanation for the large sum of cash discovered in the Menendez household. He argued that the senator's family history of fleeing Cuba as refugees had instilled a deep-seated fear of economic instability, leading them to hide money in unconventional places such as a grandfather clock, the New York Post reported.

“Who has gold bars in their home? Smells a bit fishy you might think,” Weitzman said. “Resist that urge. They want you to be blinded by the gold and the cash.”

Bob Menendez branded 'coward' for blaming wife

Despite Weitzman's efforts to exonerate Menendez, the senator faced quite a backlash on social media. Many labeled him a "coward" for implicating his wife in the scandal.

"What a coward. Blaming his wife. Absolute trash human being," one posted on X.

"Throwing his wife under the bus.. not a good look," another wrote.

"Everyone with any common sense knows Menendez is corrupt.. Now we all know he is a gutless coward," someone else chimed in.

"If Menendez thinks that makes him look any better, he's totally wrong. He might get away with his crimes by throwing his wife under the bus, but how does that look with his voters? I feel I need a shower every time I read about this dude," a comment read.

"Well I guess Bob never questioned the money in his closet coat pockets & the gold bars; really His wife made deals with Egypt?" another asked.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.