Menéndez Cleared on All Charges

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed all charges against Senator Bob Menéndez (D-NJ), following a request from prosecutors. Prosecutors filed a short motion asking U.S. District Court Judge José Linares to "dismiss the superseding indictment" against Menéndez. The request was granted hours later. In response to the DOJ’s decision to drop the charges, Menéndez said in a statement, "From the very beginning, I never wavered in my innocence and my belief that justice would prevail. I am grateful that the Department of Justice has taken the time to reevaluate its case and come to the appropriate conclusion." The move to dismiss charges is a complete reversal from the position taken by prosecutors just two weeks earlier, when they filed a notice with the court that they intended to re-try the case after the first trial ended in a hung jury. More here.