Menendez trial ends with hung jury

A federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday in the bribery case against Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and a wealthy donor after the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict. During the 2½ month trial, prosecutors said the senator traded his influence for luxury vacations and other benefits from Salomon Melgen, a Florida eye doctor. The two insisted any gifts stemmed from friendship, not politics. Menendez failed to report Melgen’s gifts on his financial disclosure forms. The jury sat through more than six full days of deliberations, which had to restart halfway through when one juror was replaced. As the judge announced the mistrial in the courtroom, Menendez looked up at the ceiling and raised his hands. Prosecutors did not immediately say whether they planned to retry the case.