Menendez bows out of primary, says he may run as independent after his ‘exoneration’

Six months after being indicted on wide-ranging federal corruption charges, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, who has repeatedly defied calls for his resignation, announced Thursday that he will not run in the Democratic primary for re-election. But he left the door open for an independent campaign to retain his seat in the fall. “I will not file for the Democratic primary this June. I am hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election,” he said....