Menendez corruption and bribery trial: What to know

 Sen. Bob Menendez’s defense rested its case in his corruption and bribery trial Monday after the ninth week.

The New Jersey Democrat is accused of accepting a plethora of donations and gifts from a wealthy friend in exchange for political influence. Both Menendez and the doctor, Salomon Melgen, have maintained their innocence.

The defense’s efforts to declare a mistrial were also squashed on Monday. The defense had also previously unsuccessfully attempted to persuade U.S. District Judge William Walls to dismiss the case based on a 2016 Supreme Court ruling which outlined a stricter definition of what an “official act” is. The defense argued that the allegations against Menendez do not meet that narrower definition.

But Walls allowed the case to continue.

It’s the first time in nine years that a sitting U.S. senator is facing a federal bribery charge.
What is Menendez accused of?

Menendez, 63, accepted an abundance of campaign donations, gifts and vacations from Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist. In return, Menendez used his position to lobby on behalf of Melgen’s business interests, according to prosecutors.

Melgen allegedly directed more than $750,000 in campaign contributions to entities that supported Menendez, according to the indictment, which prosecutors said were inducements to get Menendez to use his influence on Melgen's behalf. Prosecutors have also accused Menendez of trying to hide the gifts.

 Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., arrives to the courthouse with his children in Newark, N.J., on Sept. 6, 2017 as the corruption trial begins.  (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Melgen paid for Menendez and his girlfriend to stay for three nights at a Parisian hotel where rooms typically cost about $1,500 per night and allowed the senator the use of his private jet, according to prosecutors.

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Federal prosecutors said that Menendez “sold his office for a lifestyle that he couldn’t afford.”

The indictment also alleged that Menendez pressured State Department officials to give visas to three young women described as Melgen's girlfriends.
 
What is the senator’s defense?
Both Menendez and Melgen have pleaded not guilty – and Menendez has vehemently denied the accusations against him.

Throughout the trial, defense attorneys sought to prove that Menendez and Melgen have been friends since before the former became a senator, and the trips were nothing more than friends traveling together.

At times emotional, Menendez has maintained his innocence throughout the trial. 
What has happened in the trial so far?

Defense attorney Raymond Brown got into a spat with U.S. District Court Judge William H. Walls at the start of the trial. Brown accused Walls of being “extremely prejudicial to the defense.”

Walls had denied Menendez’s request that the trial be recessed during critical Senate votes, stating that his job should not be treated differently from that of a construction worker or cab driver.