The Paul Hastings attorneys representing U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, in his bribery and extortion trial have begun to argue that Menendez was unaware of his wife’s conduct—but that strategy involves risk, white-collar defense expert Michael Weinstein of Cole Schotz said Thursday.
“You’re dealing with a very sophisticated political operative who’s been dealing in smoke and mirrors for 30, 40 years, and for him to now suggest that his wife was the culpable one … I think a juror is just going to pause and go ‘Really?’ You’re getting very close to turning off the jury at that point,” Weinstein said.