On Nov. 16, 2017, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez stood outside a Newark, New Jersey, courthouse and thanked his lawyers, his children, and his Senate colleagues Cory Booker and Lindsey Graham for sticking by him. He endured, and ultimately prevailed, in a federal bribery trial during which he was accused of benefiting from around $1 million in gifts and political donations from a wealthy eye doctor in exchange for political favors.
“Today is resurrection day,” he said, punctuating his remarks with tears, just minutes after a hung jury prompted a federal judge to declare a mistrial. The Justice Department subsequently dropped all charges against Menendez.
