In
Menendez Trial
Senate Ethic
Director Cites
Call About
Bullion Then
Nadine Phone
Tracking
by
Matthew Russell Lee
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
June 27 – Amid reports of
investigation against Sen.
Robert Menendez for taking
gold bars, Inner City Press'
sources on September 21 it to
expect on Friday, September 22
an appearance in Federal court
in Manhattan by Menendez and
his wife Nadine Arslanian. This
scoop
was true.
Later a
superseder was unveiled,
including charges of bribes to
act for Qatar...
On April 11, 2024
after Nadine Menendez and then
the government asked for
delay, to July or undefined,
Judge Stein severed her case
and reaffirmed May 6, Inner
City Press thread
On Sunday night
April 14 the US wrote in again
asking for a delay to July,
six page letter on Patreon here.
But Judge Stein
told the parties to confer and
report by April 16 at 1 pm.
Then he set an April 17
conference, which Inner City
Press live tweeted and dubbed
"Berate-gate," thread
On May 13, jury
selection began - but did not
finish. Abit later, Menendez
got into an car with FOP NJ
plates.
On May 14 jury
selection continued but was
not yet completed, from the
ending, thread
Late on May 14,
the US Attorney's Office filed
opposition to slides the
defense wants to use in its
opening arguments, including
quotes from Colin Powell and
MLK, and when Nadine came into
possession of gold - full
letter on Patreon here
Inner City Press
live tweeted jury selection
and then opening arguments here,
then filmed Bob's exit (he
said he thought it went well
and that his guy did great).
On May 21, the US
Attorney's Office put on Wael
Hana's lawyer, then a US State
Department official working on
Congressional approval (or
holds) on arms transfer to
Egypt, thread here.
On May 23, with
the trial in haitus, docketed
was Menendez' lawyers
opposition to quashing his
subpoena for Jose Uribe's
attorney proffer and
communications with SDNY
prosecutors, filing on Patreon
here
On May 29, Inner
City Press live tweeted,
omitting Morton's steakhouse
but including this
On May 30,
Menendez's lawyer's (long)
cross, including this.
On May 31,
starting 1 pm, the agent was
cross examined, and then USDA
Ted McKinney on direct, thread
After the
trial day, Inner City Press
filed Menendez' walk to his
Jersey-plated car; asked why
he called McKinney he said,
Wait for the cross
[examination].
Nadine Menendez
hired a new lawyer, who
previously represented Sydney
Powell among others. Then
this: "ORDER as to Nadine
Menendez: At the request of
the defendant and with the
consent of the government
[Doc. No. 434], the status
conference is adjourned from
June 10 to June 12 at 5 :00
p.m.(Signed by Judge Sidney H.
Stein on 6/3/2024)."
On June 4 Judge
Stein dockted a partially
redacted Order in which he
denied Menendez's request that
the prosecutors give him
impeachment material about a
Confidential Human Source they
are not going to call as a
witness - but Menendez said he
will.
On June 5, Inner
City Press live tweeted - and
afterward asked Menendez a
question. Thread.
On June 6, after
more cross of Agent Graves,
Gurbir Grewal testified, thread
On June 7, after
an FBI fingerprint expert,
cooperator Jose Uribe, Inner
City Press live tweeted, thread
On June 10, Uribe
finished his direct
examination around 4 pm, then
counsel for Hana, not yet
Menendez, began cross
examination, thread.
On June 11, Uribe
was cross examined - though
not on the "strip club issue"
after which out on Worth
Street Menendez decried
Uribe's crimes. Thread
On June 12, after
the end of Uribe (including
drunk driving and the "little
bell"), US Attorney of NJ
Sellinger took the stand, thread.
On June 13, trial
day - and next day - was
canceled by Daibes calling in
with COVID: thread.
And then, book:
GOLD BAR BAR Menendez Trial I,
on Amazon here.
On June 18, after
Daibes' COVID, things resumed
with Sellinger, followed by
Matt Soliman.
On June 20,
alongside an FBI agent summary
witness, a prosecution office
witness out of order, thread.
On June 24,
Menendez's staffer Sarah Arkin
took the stand, from the thread
On June 25, Sarah
Arkin finished up, including
about upcoming job at State
Department. Then, a currency
(and money laundering) expert
from the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York. From the thread
On June 26, there
testimony about currency, and
then a jocular Armenian
jeweler, from the thread
On June 27, the
Senate Ethics Committee
director, then a cell site
expert, from the thread:
now in US v.
Menendez, Senate Ethics
Committee director is day's
first government witness,
calls it bipartisan.
AUSA: Who
has to file disclosures?
Witness: Anyone whose rate of
pay is over $147,000 a
year.... I am a filer. Some
still file on paper, there are
seven of them. [Who?]
[Note - Menendez has been
given an extension to file for
2023:
"Robert Menendez
requested an extension.. new
due date for the report is no
later than August 13, 2024.
Image Witness Shannon Hamilton
Kopplin: We've had to update
our forms, for example to
including cryptocurrency.
AUSA: What
is cryptocurrency? Kopplin:
Heck, I don't know
[laughter
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMJF66XR
AUSA: Did you receive a call
from Senator Menendez?
Witness: Yes. He asked if he
had to amend a prior report. I
was told it was gold bullion.
AUSA: What did you tell him?
Witness: That he had to amend
his form for 2020.
Kopplin: I asked Senator
Menendez if Nadine's LLC had
an office lease. He said it's
something she does out of the
dining room.
AUSA: Finally -
and by finally I only mean,
before we break - what did you
mean, You will still report
the highest amount of the
loan? Kopplin: I gave
advice if Nadine used proceeds
from the sale of gold to pay
her mortgage. AUSA: Was this
specific advice? Kopplin: It's
very specific, I give that to
a specific question. My
impression is I had to have
been asked a specific
question. Judge: We'll
break
Now cross
examination of Senate Ethics
Kopplin Menendez's lawyer
Weitzman: You know that
Senator Menendez has two
children? Kopplin: One of them
is in Congress. [Rob Menendez
- he told a Cuban vlogger he
does not speak Spanish]
AUSA: How do you answer
questions?
Kopplin: Well, I
have 13 staffers, and there
are 100 Senators, so yes we're
overwhelmed. AUSA: Do you
remember if Senator Menendez
attended any ethics training?
Kopplin: I didn't see
him Menendez lawyer
Weitzman: So if a spouse did
not disclose an asset to a
Senator, the certification
would still be true - you have
to have knowledge, right?
Kopplin: Yes.
Menendez's
lawyer Weitzman: So Senator
Menendez had asked Chris Coons
about the gold bullion - then
he called you? Koppin: Yes.
Weitzman: Did you ever learn
the gold was a parental gift
to Nadine? AUSA: Objection.
Assumes a fact. Judge: Did he
say that? No Judge:
We'll break here.
Next US witness
is FBI Agent Elizabeth Wheeler
AUSA Monteleoni:
What is cell site location
data? Wheeler: Every time we
use our phones a record is
generated with the phone
company. It was used for the
COVID maps, too. AUSA: How
many hours to join CAST? 250
hours AUSA: GX 16c-2 -
what is the time of this
slide? Wheeler: June 4, 2019,
a call from Uribe to the
Bronx.
AUSA: This?
Wheeler: Text from Nadine
Menendez from the Upper West
Side of Manhattan. [At defense
table Bob leans toward
monitor, pointing out
something to Fee Now
cross examination Menendez's
lawyer Adam Fee: In some cases
you are part of the
investigative team? Wheeler:
In exigent circumstances, yes.
Judge: Do you set up command
centers for bank robbers?
Wheeler: No. But for mass
shooters, yes.
Menendez's lawyer
Fee: Why did you label that
number "N. Menendez" when she
was still named Arslanian?
Don't you want to be accurate?
[Seems that's what Bob was
pointing out to Fee.]
Judge: We'll break for the
day, we're relatively on
track.
Afterward there
was more, in the robing room
and after
More on X for
Subscribers here
and Substack here
The case is US v.
Menendez, et al., 23-cr-490
(Stein)
More
on Substack here
***
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