DOJ to Retry Bob Menéndez

The Justice Department said on Friday that it plans to retry Senator Bob Menéndez (D-NJ) and co-defendant Dr. Salomón Melgen, despite a jury failing to reach a verdict in the federal corruption case. The first trial took place last fall -- more than two years after the pair was indicted in 2015. Federal authorities allege that Melgen, a Florida eye doctor, provided Menéndez with lavish gifts and hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions in exchange for Menéndez encouraging federal officials to help the doctor resolve a $9 million Medicare billing dispute and assist him in obtaining a port security contract in the Dominican Republic. Menéndez, who is up for reelection this year, released a statement saying, “We regret that the DOJ, after spending millions and millions of taxpayer dollars, and failing to prove a single allegation in a court of law, has decided to double down on an unjust prosecution. Evidently, they did not hear the overwhelming voices of the New Jerseyans who served on the jury this fall. Senator Menendez fully intends to be vindicated — again.” More here.