Senator Bob Menendez had hopes his day in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons was over after a jury failed to reach a verdict in his federal corruption case late last year. Those days away from the spotlight may soon be over for the Democrat as the Department of Justice announced their intentions to retry him and his co-defendant Salomon Melgen.
Feds intend to retry Menendez and Melgen ‘at the earliest possible date’
“The United States files this notice of intent to retry the defendants and requests that the Court set the case for retrial at the earliest possible date,” reads the one-paragraph notice signed by AnnaLou Tirol, acting chief of the department’s public integrity section. “Defendants Robert Menendez and Salomon Melgen have been indicted for bribery and corruption by two separate grand juries properly impaneled in the District of New Jersey. The first trial ended in a mistrial with a deadlocked jury. An early retrial date is in the best interests of the public, and the United States is available to schedule a retrial at the Court’s earliest convenience.”
My Take
I’m no lawyer, but the evidence against Menendez is pretty clear cut. An unfavorable jury and bungling by prosecutors made it hard for the jury to reach a verdict while mainstream media essentially ignored the story until the verdict. I hope to see justice served.
