NEWARK, N.J. — In a show of support for his Garden State colleague, US Sen. Cory Booker showed up for the start of Sen. Robert Menendez’s bribery trial Wednesday.
Booker sat in the first row right behind fellow Democrat Menendez, the senior senator from New Jersey, who is on trial for accepting bribes from a wealthy West Palm Beach eye doctor who was convicted of earning millions cheating Medicare.
Also present were prosecutors and defense lawyers from the Bridgegate trial.
Menendez acted as Dr. Salomon Melgen’s “personal United States senator” in exchange “for a lifestyle that was a travel brochure for the rich and famous,” Department of Justice prosecutor Peter Koski said in his opening statement.
Alleged bribes included trips on Melgen’s private jet, all-expense-paid trips to his Caribbean villa and hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, Koski said.