the defense kicked off its case this morning in the trial of Senator Bob Menendez prosecutors rested on Friday after spending seven weeks presenting evidence and testimony from more than two dozen witnesses to prove Menendez accepted bribes of cash gold bars and a luxury car all in exchange for using his power and influence to benefit three businessmen and the governments of Egypt and cutter today the defense began building their own case calling their own witnesses to support their claim that no crimes were committed and no bribes were paid to the senator and they started by focusing on family I'm joined by senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan who's been in court all day in lower Manhattan Brenda the defense wasted no time in trying to undermine the prosecution's arguments through family testimony two sisters testify today let's start with Bob menendez's older sister what did she tell the jury hey Raven so the defense called called its first witness 80-year-old Caridad Gonzalez Caridad Gonzalez she was petite but Fierce she called the senator her quote baby brother and she explained how the family fled Cuba in the 50s that they fled with only the cash that they had managed to hide in a grandfather clock and she says that when they got to the US her dad drummed into all the kids and I'm going to quote don't trust the banks you never know what can happen you must always have money at home she told jurors that in the 1980s she did see that Menendez was stashing cash in a closet now where did he get the money a forensic accountant this afternoon said that at least out of his Senate account every couple of weeks the senator would withdraw $400 um Raven and that is where they're saying this money came from well let's move on to nen menendez's younger sister what were the key parts of her testimony for the defense yes yes that's true well katata tamburan is nen's younger sister and what she testified is that naen inherited half of her mother's jewelry and all of her grandmother's gold bars again another cultural gift giving inheritance type of culture Kata had seen some of those gold bars and jewelry in this closet that the FBI raided at the home that Menendez shared with naen and she said only naen had a key to that closet that Menendez didn't get in there didn't know what was going on and that's the defense's overall tactic is to say that he had no idea naen kept him in the dark about this entire scheme Raven and the defense also questioned Kya about the supposed chaos that had developed between the senator and naen what did we learn well at one point naen asked her younger sister for help and when Bob Menendez broke up with her she didn't know what to do it was election night 2018 she texted texted her sister you need to help me and so Kata texted the senator and this is what he said back I know that he was fed up uh kathia said Menendez texted I can't get over her being with an exboyfriend while she was with me maybe Time Heals all wounds but not tonight and it was that exboyfriend that was apparently showing chaos in their relationship now the defense is saying if the couple can't collaborate on their relationship how can they collaborate on a bribery scheme Raven all right excellent reporting thank you Brenda thank you [Music]