Sen. Menendez Jury Deadlocked, Judge Declares Mistrial
Menendez faced charges of accepting gifts in exchange for political influence.
Judge William Walls has officially declared a mistrial in Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial after the jury came back deadlocked again.
The jury came back deadlocked on Monday and the judge sent them home early and told them to try again. They did, but could not reach a decision on the seventh day of deliberations.
The senator faced charges for bribery, honest services fraud, and conspiracy. He allegedly used his position in the Senate “to proffer favors for big-moneyed campaign donor, Dr. Salomon Melgen.
From NBC Connecticut:
In telling the judge they were deadlocked for the second time, the jurors said they were hung on all counts despite going through the evidence slowly, thoroughly and with great detail, according to part of the jury’s note read by defense attorney Abbe Lowell.
The jury deliberated for about 14 hours over three days. The first deadlock came Monday, when the jurors sent a note saying they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict on any of the 18 counts in the indictment against Menendez and Melgen. Monday’s impasse came after deliberations had to restart following a juror’s release for a scheduled vacation.
Judge Walls declared a mistrial after he interviewed all of the jurors. From CNN:
“I find that you are unable to reach a verdict and that further deliberations would be futile and there is no alternative but to declare a mistrial,” he said.
Prosecutors have not said if they plan to refile the charges against Menendez.
The mistrial is a downer for both the Department of Justice and Menendez. The DOJ has worked on its investigation into Menendez for five years while he does not have “the clear vindication he had hoped for in court.”
BREAKING: Judge Walls declares a mistrial in Menendez trial: "I find that you are unable to reach a verdict" and that "there is no alternative but to declare a mistrial."
— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) November 16, 2017
MISTRIAL AT MENENDEZ TRIAL, defense attorney tells reporters. Menendez emerges from judge's chambers, wraps children in a big hug. Supporters of defendants are hugging and tearing up.
— Nicholas Pugliese (@nickpugz) November 16, 2017
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Comments
So, we know that some citizens, tried and true, listened to the evidence and believed Menendez guilty. On each count.
That is more significant that the untested smear campaign on Moore.
I’m sure later today McConnell will announce an ethics investigation into Menendez and Franken, both of whom committed their vile acts while senators, not 30+ years ago, supposedly.
OK. 1 out of 2 so far.
I was wrong about the timing of this Franken escapade. It feels like Senator Franken has been around a long time.
2 out of 12.
I don’t know what it means but one of the jurors asked the judge several days ago what a Senator was. If this is true then we know why there is a deadlock!
I would guess “do you know what a Senator is?” will be at the top of jury questions next time.
One would hope that that was a question that need not be asked.
But apparently it must be.
Guess Menendez and his cronies couldn’t intimidate, threaten, or pay off enough jurors.
Define “enough”. He is still a Senator.
Why would they need to? Do you really think the evidence is enough to support the prosecution’s view of the case beyond reasonable doubt?
A working Senate would still bring ethics charges against Menendez on the basis of the evidence presented in court. Then it would expel him. That would of course require a) Leadership and 2) Some sense of ethics.
Any bets?
The ethics matter is already under way. So, you lose the bet. Now, as to expulsion…
Just commenting to note that it is extremely difficult to find an unbiased jury pool whenever the defendant is well known, not withstanding how obvious this quilt may be or how strong the evidence.
for example OJ, John Wiley Price (Dallas County Commissioner).
Hillary would almost never be found guilty by a jury even with multiple eye witnesses, taped confession, etc, simply because of her noterity.
How very odd. 18 charges, with an FBI case worked on for 5 years and touted as “devastating” in early reporting, with a defense team willing to try any possible trick to derail the proceedings…and then a mistrial.
Dems may not find it so easy to bribe a second jury.
18 charges, all with the same flaw. How long the FBI worked on it is irrelevant, because the facts were not in dispute; the question before the jury was what construction to put on those facts, and the DOJ has a long and embarrassing history of making up the law in such cases. It seems there’s an entrenched culture among prosecutors, both state and federal, that views such acts from a perspective that many Americans don’t share. Hence the persecution of Conrad Black, Arthur Anderson, Tom DeLay, Ted Stevens, Bob McDonnell, and Scott Walker, for acts (admitted or merely alleged) that were not in fact illegal. This may be one more such case.
OK, hold the stampede.
We were spoiled by the Wm. “Cold Cash” Jefferson case, which was blatant bribery, caught on video, audio, and evidence wrapped in foil in his freezer. But this case isn’t exactly the same.
Now personally, I wouldn’t be unduly alarmed if an angel swept through the country and killed the firstborn in every household which included a Democrat. Nevertheless, if I happened to be on a jury for a case like this one, I’d need some major convincing that Menendez was deep in bribery, and not just being helpful (ok, very helpful) to a citizen … and his friends who happened to need visas. These are not obviously illegitimate functions of government.
I’d need proof—not interpretation—to vote for conviction.
And now we know it was 10-2 for acquittal, which doesn’t surprise me at all. The prosecution just didn’t make the case. Which was brought in the first place to punish Menendez for opposing 0bama on Iran and Cuba.