THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.
WE'LL TELL YOU WHERE THAT GOES
FROM HERE.
BUT FIRST, WE DO WANT TO BRING
YOU BREAKING NEWS OUT OF NEW
YORK.
A JURY FINDING SENATOR BOB
MENENDEZ GUILTY IN THE FEDERAL
BRIBERY TRIAL AGAINST HIM.
>> HE FACES THREE YEARS OVER
WHAT PROSECUTORS DESCRIBED
A SCHEME TO TRADE
POLITICAL FAVORS FOR LAVISH
GIFTS.
>> THIS IS THE SECOND TIME
THE NEW JERSEY SENATOR HAS
FACED FEDERAL CORRUPTION.
THE LAST TIME WAS 2017, AND IT
ENDED IN A MISTRIAL.
MENENDEZ DID NOT TESTIFY IN HIS
TRIAL.
FOR MORE, LET'S BRING IN OUR
ABC NEWS SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE
CORRESPONDENT AARON KATERSKY
ALSO LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR AT ABC
BRIAN BUCKMIRE.
ALL RIGHT, ERIN, WALK
US THROUGH WHAT WE'VE JUST
LEARNED.
>> SENATOR MENENDEZ HAS BEEN
CONVICTED AS CHARGED.
HE FACED SIX COUNTS
IN CONNECTION WITH WHAT
PROSECUTORS CALLED CORRUPTION
ON A MASSIVE SCALE.
THE POWERFUL UNITED SENATOR
IS NOW A CONVICTED CRIMINAL.
THE JURY TOOK ABOUT 13 HOURS
TO DELIBERATE THE FATE OF THE
SENATOR OVER THE LAST DAYS
AND THEY FOUND HIM GUILTY
OF BRIBERY, EXTORTION AND OF
BEING A PUBLIC OFFICIAL ACTING
AS A FOREIGN AGENT.
KYRA, MENENDEZ TOOK BRIBES
IN EXCHANGE FOR TAKING OFFICIAL
ACTS ON BEHALF OF A COUPLE
OF NEW JERSEY BUSINESSMEN
AND ON BEHALF OF THE
GOVERNMENTS OF EGYPT AND QATAR
.
ONCE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE
FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE,
HE DID THOSE FAVORS TO OTHER
COUNTRIES AND THE FBI RAIDED
HIS THEY DISCOVERED GOLD BARS
AND ENVELOPE AFTER ENVELOPE
OF CASH, WADS OF IT IN HIS
BOOTS.
IT IS JACKETS IN HIS SHOES.
AND IT TOTALED NEARLY HALF
BILLION DOLLARS STUFFED
EVERYWHERE IN THAT HOUSE KYRA.
>> I HAVE TO CHUCKLE.
I KNOW IT'S A SERIOUS STORY,
BUT WE REMEMBER THE IMAGES,
THOSE IMAGES BECOMING EVIDENCE,
BRIAN, THE GOLD BARS, THE CASH.
I MEAN, IT REALLY WAS THE SCENE
OUT OF A, YOU KNOW, HULU
SPECIAL WHEN WE SAW
WHAT INVESTIGATORS HAD FOUND SO
WAS TO THESE BRIBES AND HE WAS
SELLING HIS INFLUENCE TO THE
HIGHEST BIDDER, SO TO SPEAK.
>> SO.
SO, BRIAN, WE'VE GOT TO TALK
ABOUT MENENDEZ, HIS WIFE,
THOUGH, NADINE.
SHE WAS ALSO IN THE BRIBERY
SCHEME, BUT HER TRIAL WAS
DELAYED.
SO SHE COULD ACTUALLY BE
TREATED FOR CANCER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE VERDICT
HERE.
COULD IT IMPACT HER TRIAL
AT ALL.
AND ALSO, WE CAN'T FORGET
THE FACT THAT BOB CONTINUALLY
THREW HIS WIFE UNDER THE BUS,
EVEN SHE'S BEEN GOING THROUGH
CANCER TREATMENT SAYING THIS
WAS ALL HER.
>> BUT CLEARLY, THE JURY DIDN'T
SEE THAT TODAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO IT ALWAYS DEPENDS
ON THE FACTS.
BUT I WOULD THE FACTS OF THIS
CASE WITH BOB MENENDEZ
BEING CONVICTED DOESN'T HELP
NADINE, BECAUSE SHE WAS ALMOST
THE FULCRUM IN THIS CASE WHERE
THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM QATAR
AND EGYPT KIND OF USED
THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH NADINE
TO THEN GET TO BOB MENENDEZ.
AND SO INTO THE GOVERNMENT HAS
ALREADY PROVEN THAT THAT
RESULT, GETTING TO BOB MENENDEZ
FOR THEIR FAVORS AND GETTING
CASH IS AS A GUILTY VERDICT,
THEN ANYTHING IN BETWEEN SHOULD
ALSO BE GUILTY AS WELL.
A LOT OF THE EVIDENCE IN BOB
MENENDEZ CASE ALSO INCRIMINATES
THAT OF NADINE.
NOW, SHE MAY POINT THE FINGER
AS WELL, BUT I THINK A MAJOR
QUESTION GOING TO HURT HER AND
NOT BEING WHY WOULD
YOU INFLUENCE THE WIFE OF A
SENATOR TO GET POLITICAL IF IT
WASN'T ULTIMATELY TO GET TO THE
HUSBAND?
AND SO SHE I THINK, APPEARS
TO BE THE FULCRUM IN THIS ALL,
AT LEAST IN THE GOVERNMENT'S
EYES.
AND I THINK BOB'S CONVICTION
DOES HELP THE GOVERNMENT
IN CONVICTING HER AS WELL.