STORY: Jury selection began in the corruption trial of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez on Monday (May 13) in a case that could affect the Democrat's political future and the makeup of the U.S. Senate.
New Jersey's senior senator faces 16 criminal charges including bribery, fraud, obstruction and acting as a foreign agent.
He is being charged alongside two New Jersey businessmen.
:: File
The 70-year-old's wife has also been charged but will be tried separately.
All four have pleaded not guilty.
:: Jane Rosenberg
A fifth defendant pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud charges in March and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
:: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Prosecutors have accused the Menendezes of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible in exchange for the senator offering political favors and helping the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
:: File
U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein on Monday excused dozens of prospective jurors who did not want to serve, and by day's end, no jurors had been seated.
Jury selection is set to resume Tuesday.
Menendez, who has been a senator since 2006, is up for reelection in November.
If acquitted, he may seek a fourth full term as an independent.
Menendez has resisted calls to resign, including from many fellow Democrats.
Democrats and independents who caucus with them hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate.
Several seats in that majority may be closely contested in November, and a Democratic seat in West Virginia is expected to turn Republican.
