In a surprising turn of events, attorneys for Senator Bob Menendez have concluded calling witnesses on Wednesday, opting not to have the New Jersey Democrat take the stand in his own defense against allegations of trading political favors for gold bars and cash. As the trial enters its eighth week, Menendez's defense team presented only a handful of witnesses, in stark contrast to the 30 witnesses called by the prosecution.

After leaving court, Menendez expressed his belief that testifying would not make "any sense." He argued that the government had failed to prove every aspect of its case against him. The senator is facing charges of bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. He has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty.

Among the witnesses called by Menendez's defense team were his sister, Caridad Gonzalez, and the sister of his wife, Nadine Menendez. Their testimonies sought to establish that it was not unusual for the couple to keep large amounts of cash and gold in their home. Gonzalez revealed that their parents and aunt had a long-held habit of storing cash at home, a practice they brought with them when their family fled persecution in Cuba in 1951.

Prosecutors, however, challenged some of Gonzalez's claims after she testified that she had asked her brother to assist a neighbor with an immigration issue. Text messages between Menendez and his sister suggested that he gave the issue different treatment than the alleged bribes he received from businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes.

According to prosecutors, Menendez exerted pressure on a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to protect Hana's halal certification monopoly and interfered in a New Jersey criminal case involving Daibes. Evidence also revealed that Menendez regularly withdrew around $400 in cash every few weeks from 2008 to 2022, amounting to more than $150,000.

Furthermore, prosecutors presented evidence showing that bundles of $10,000 cash were seized from Menendez's home, with Daibes' fingerprints found on some of the envelopes containing the cash. Menendez's defense strategy has been to shift blame onto his wife, asserting that he was unaware of her financial challenges and dealings with the businessmen accused of bribing them.

The trial of Hana and Daibes, who have also pleaded not guilty, is ongoing. Menendez's wife, Nadine Menendez, has had her trial postponed until August due to her recovery from breast cancer surgery.

The jury is expected to receive the case by the end of next week, following testimony from Hana's witnesses and closing arguments. Meanwhile, Daibes' legal team has chosen not to present a defense.

As the trial nears its conclusion, the fate of Senator Bob Menendez hangs in the balance, and the jury's decision will determine his future in politics.