Judge Declines to Delay Menendez Sentencing Hearing

Former Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) was hoping to have his sentence delayed until after his wife’s hearing had concluded.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 29, but Menendez had filed a motion to push it back, citing his wife’s trial.

The judge disagreed, and Menendez will learn his fate in about three weeks.

Not Happening

According to the filing, Menendez wanted his sentencing delayed so as not to impact the jury in his wife’s case.

Attorney Barry Coburn, Nadine Menendez’s lawyer, stated, “Mr. Menendez’ trial was a number of months ago, and while numerous members of our venire likely will be aware of it, it likely will be a relatively distant memory.

“Sentencing of a former United States Senator likely would engender such a flash of intense publicity that it likely would be known to virtually every prospective juror in our case, and would be a recent memory.”

Robert Menendez’s trial wrapped up in July, where he was convicted on corruption charges, having been caught taking numerous bribes from several different businessmen as well as having acted as a foreign agent.

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein rejected the argument, however.

Nadine’s trial is set to start on February 5, so the sentence of Robert Menendez will be very much in the latest news cycle when jury is seated in Nadine’s case.

His wife is just as guilty as he is, so I am glad the judge decided to leave the sentencing hearing as is, which will provide a nice refresher to everyone concerning the extent of this corruption.

Nadine played an integral part in this scheme, so I am hoping she is rung up in a similar fashion to her husband.

There is nothing worse than elected officials abusing their position and breaking the trust of the American people, and that extends to their spouses.

I hope they throw the book at both of them.