‘Something About The Gold Bars Thing That’s So Out There!’ CNN Anchors Marvel At Stunning Sen. Menendez Bribery Case Evidence

CNN anchors marveled over the gold bars allegedly found during the FBI’s bribery investigation into Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NY) while discussing the charges on Friday.

According to court records, Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were charged earlier in the day with three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.

CNN’s Kate Bolduan began by talking about the visual aids presented by federal officials.

“They came in and turned around the poster board, if you will, to show the evidence depicted in the indictment. That is a jacket that says ‘Senator Menendez’ with cash, literally cash, was in the pocket, is what they allege. And these, the gold bars that they allege were given as a bribe to the senator and his wife. I mean, that’s, I don’t — there is something about the gold bar thing that is just so out there!” she said before tossing to legal analyst Elliot Williams.

“Look, it is not unlawful to possess blocks of gold. And frankly, it’s not unlawful, as the senator is alleged to have done in the indictment, to Google ‘how much money is a block of gold worth,'” Williams said.

“That said, it is inherently suspect — I don’t have any blocks of gold on me right now, and I would assume most Americans do not.  And these are the kinds of facts that when presented to a jury, at least raise suspicions,” he continued, adding:

Even the use of high amounts of cash for transactions. Cash that I will note, as noted in the indictment, has fingerprints and DNA for some of the other defendants on them. Again, not per se evidence of a crime, but it just, when mounted together, paints a picture of a senator that is alleged to have used his influence in order to engage in official acts.

During Friday’s press conference, prosecutors described the discovery.

“Agents discovered a lot of gold,” said Damien Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

For the record, he said the three kilograms of gold pictured in the evidence photograph, “together are worth approximately $150,000.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.