Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and two New Jersey businessmen have asked a federal judge to overturn their convictions or grant them a new trial.
The request comes amid Menendez’s resignation from the Senate, which takes effect on Aug. 20.
A jury convicted Menendez on 16 counts on July 16. The charges included bribery, conspiracy, extortion, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction of justice.
However, in filing his motion for acquittal on Aug. 19, the senator claimed prosecutors failed to prove their case against him.
“The government said it would prosecute Sen. Menendez for his alleged agreements to sell official acts in exchange for bribes. But despite a 10-week trial, the government offered no actual evidence of an agreement, just speculation masked as inference,” the motion states….