Bad as the 18 corruption charges against New Jersey's Sen. Bob Menendez were, the original motive behind the Justice Department's prosecution against him was worse.  That's worth remembering as the news of his hung-jury trial probably amounts to an acquittal, given that most jurors (8-2) thought the charges of funds for favors were unproven, and prosecutors may be reluctant to retry against those odds. According to the New York Daily News: Prosecutors assembled a mountain of evidence that Menendez traded hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and campaign contributions from a scam-artist Florida ophthalmologist for official favors. No conviction. The Washington Post summed up the charges thus: Prosecutors said Menendez took gifts from Melgen, including a luxury hotel stay, private jet flights and campaign donations, in exchange for which he tried to help Melgen get U.S. visas for his girlfriends, intervened in the doctor's $8.9...(Read Full Post)