Prosecutors aren't giving leniency to Senator Bob Menendez's request for a delay in his federal corruption trial.

The senator's defense team asked to push back the start date, which is scheduled for May six by at least two months.

In a letter sent Tuesday, prosecutors urged Manhattan Judge Sidney Stein to reject the idea writing that the current trial schedule is reasonable and defendants should be required to stick to it to, quote, vindicate the public's interest in a speedy trial.

Of this matter.

The senator's defense attorneys say they need more time to sift through millions of pages of files that were turned over in discovery.

Menendez, his wife, and a handful of associates have pleaded not guilty to charges of a sweeping bribery conspiracy that alleges Menendez and his wife accepted cash, gold bars and a luxury car in exchange for his influence on foreign affairs.

Menendez has also pleaded not guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Egyptian government.

The senator is seeking reelection in 2024 and New Jersey's primaries held in June after the trial is slated to begin