the federal corruption trial of us Senator Bob Menendez begins on Monday with jury selection in a bribery case against Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen who are codefendants menendez's wife was also indicted but is being tried separately this trial is expected to last several weeks as prosecutors try to prove the menendez's and businessmen engaged in a wide ranging scheme to help the Egyptian and Qatari governments in exchange for lucrative bribes to which they've all pleaded not guilty senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan takes a look at what we can expect can you continue to serve effectively in the sen serve defendant Senator Bob Menendez will walk a gauntlet of cameras and shouting reporters outside federal court in lower Manhattan Monday as jury selection gets underway in his Sensational corruption trial prosecutors will present tangible evidence Cash Gold and a Mercedes Benz to convince jurors that Mendez illegally sold his political clout to benefit Egypt cutter and his codefendants you know you've got cash secreted throughout your house and in your suit pockets and gold bars that that the government apparently can trace back to co-conspirators former Federal prosecutor Chris gion also points to text messages emails and other Communications the government will show jurors arguing Menendez who former forly chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee intentionally tried to cover his tracks concealment evidence is a big piece of this and there's evidence where they deleted text messages and they say words to the effect of one another let's keep this between us and when you try to conceal something everyone understands that it's human nature that you conceal just what you know is wrong or improper or illegal because the Senator's wife naen needs surgery for an undisclosed medical condition she'll now be tried separately but Jose rebe one of the three New Jersey businessmen charged as codefendants in the case pleaded guilty in March to seven counts including conspiracy to commit bribery and he's now cooperating with the prosecution the cooperating witness is is essentially like an inside player that can be served as like a color commentator to say everything that the government has presenting to you this is what was going on behind the scenes this is what was being said most of the defense will be legal on certain counts that is there is not a quid proquo defense attorney Joseph Hayden says the Menendez team will probably argue his actions are shielded by the Constitution the US Supreme Courts ruled setting up meetings or calling public officials are not on their own official acts he did not have a governmental action within his senatorial duties uh and therefore however unsavory people may or may not think the cashes or the gold bars or whatever the explanation for them is it still is not a crime of bribery because he didn't do anything menendez's attorneys also asked the judge to admit an expert psychiatric witness to testify about their client's mental health challenges that he hoarded cash and gold because of traumatic events involving his father it at least will give some credibility as to Bob menendez's explanation and also humaniz you know also humanize him in a letter the Senator's lawyers expressed outrage when prosecutors outed that information in an opposing brief leaving judge cydney Stein to decide the issue Menendez has refused to resign promising to prove his innocence in court and possibly run for reelection as an independent but campaign contributions have slowed to a trickle says writers Michael rasmason anybody who is giving knows essentially that they are giving to um a fund that is going to be used in court not for political purposes not for campaign purposes and so it really has slowed down to um you know 15 or $20,000 per paper per uh per per per reporting period he says some longtime supporter still back Menendez hoping he can beat this R like he escaped conviction in his 2017 corruption trial we'll soon find out I'm Brenda flan andj Spotlight news [Music]