Prosecution rests in Sen. Bob Menendez bribery trial, defense starts Monday

Prosecutors on Friday rested their case against Sen. Bob Menendez, the New Jersey senator accused of trading his political influence for gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz, and cash.

They spent the past six weeks painting the longtime Democratic senator as a greedy politician who held court in his New Jersey home, rang a tiny silver bell to summon his wife, and puffed on cigars. They claimed he agreed to take hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange to steer aid to Egypt, help facilitate a halal meat monopoly, and disrupt criminal investigations on behalf of friends.