New Jersey

“You’re a very good liar, aren’t you?” an attorney for the senator asked Jose Uribe.

Jose Uribe (left) was repeatedly asked during cross-examination about his criminal record, which includes a history of fraud and lying to authorities. | Stefan Jeremiah/AP

By Ry Rivard

06/11/2024 07:58 PM EDT

Link Copied

NEW YORK — Defense attorneys spent all day Tuesday working to undermine one of federal prosecutors’ star witnesses in their corruption case again Sen. Bob Menendez.

The witness, Jose Uribe, a New Jersey trucking and insurance industry figure who pleaded guilty earlier this year to bribing the senator and his wife, was repeatedly asked about his criminal record, which includes a history of fraud and lying to authorities. Uribe testified in vivid detail on Monday about a series of meetings with the senator, including a backyard gathering where they shared brandy.

Uribe has said he bought the New Jersey Democrat’s now-wife, Nadine, a new Mercedes-Benz in 2019 to gain the senator’s power and influence. Uribe wanted Menendez to disrupt a New Jersey state prosecution and investigation circling Uribe’s insurance business. The government has charged two other businesspeople with bribing the senator, but the car-related bribery charges may rest largely on how jurors view Uribe’s testimony.

What a jury will make of his credibility, of course, remains to be seen. But Uribe remained calm and at times exceedingly precise in his answers during cross-examination Tuesday, even as he admitted to a troubled past full of wrongdoing.

When Uribe was called to the stand........

© Politico