Ex-NJ Sen. ‘Gold Bar Bob’ Menendez a no-show at start of wife’s bribery trial

Convicted ex-New Jersey Sen. “Gold Bar Bob’’ Menendez was a no-show for the start of his wife’s bribery trial Monday — even though a judge delayed his prison stint so he could “assist” her during her case.

Nadine Menendez, 58, turned up to Manhattan federal court in a pink breast-cancer-awareness mask and toting a cheap Amazon Prime tote — a far cry from the pricy Chanel bag she brought to the defense table for her first appearance in the case in September 2023.

Jurors on Monday heard how she allegedly teamed up with her soon-to-be-jailed husband to pocket gold bars, a new Mercedes-Benz and other bribes from three Garden State businessmen.

“They were partners in crime, partners in corruption, and partners in greed,” prosecutor Lara Pomerantz said in her opening statement.

A jury convicted Nadine’s disgraced 71-year-old husband in July of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for help getting state prosecutors to drop a criminal probe, convincing lawmakers to unfreeze $300 million in military aid for Egypt and other favors.

The pilloried pol, the once-longtime head of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was also found guilty of acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, becoming the the first US senator ever to be convicted of that crime.

He is set to report to prison June 6 to serve an 11-year-sentence.

Bob Menendez’s lawyers successfully lobbied Judge Sidney Stein to push back when he would have to report to a federal lockup until after Nadine’s trial, which was postponed after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Bob Menendez needs to be present in Nadine’s life “throughout the trial for his wife’s emotional and physical support,” his lawyer wrote in a December letter.

The letter did not specifically say whether that support would include attending Nadine’s trial in person.

But during the onetime lawmaker’s sentencing hearing, Judge Stein said, “I’m going to want to have him able to be present for Mrs. Menendez’s trial.

“I do want him to be able to be present to assist his wife during that period,” the judge said.

But Bob Menendez was nowhere to be found in court during Monday morning’s opening statements and similarly missed the start of testimony Monday afternoon.

Jurors heard from an FBI agent who discovered a trove of gold bars and more than $400,000 in cash stuffed into envelopes — and even a pair of Timberland work boots — during a 2022 raid of the Menendezes’ home.

Bob Menendez’s lawyer declined to comment to The Post on his court absence Monday.

One possible explanation for the ex-senator’s absence could be that Nadine’s lawyer, Barry Coburn, is considering calling him as a defense witness. Witnesses are typically excluded from attending trials until they are called to the stand.

But it would likely not violate court rules for Menendez to nonetheless accompany his wife at least to and from the courtroom and then wait for her in an area such as the hallway or the courthouse’s cafeteria.

Coburn was required to give prosecutors a list of possible defense witnesses before the trial, but a copy of that list has not been made public.

Nadine has pleaded not guilty to the charges she faces, and her lawyer argued Monday that the feds will not prove that she had the required “knowledge” or “intent” to commit her alleged crimes.

Bob Menendez infamously attempted to shift blame toward Nadine during opening statements at his own trial — with his lawyer brazenly claiming that his wife “sidelined” him from interactions with businessmen and convicted felons Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe.

But he called himself “a husband who dearly loves his wife” during his January sentencing hearing.

“I want to see her pain-free, happy again, and hope to return to a joyful future together,” he told the court.

Breaking down in tears that day, Menendez called himself a “chastened” man when speaking to the judge.

But his tone dramatically shifted to indignance minutes later on the sidewalk, where he claimed that the case was politically motivated — despite the fact he’s a Democrat and the charges were brought by a Democrat-led Department of Justice under former President Joe Biden.

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