Bob Menendez corruption trial, round 2: Prosecutors have ‘compelling’ narrative

When Sen. Bob Menendez walked into a Newark federal courthouse for the first day of his 2017 corruption trial, so many reporters were watching him that the courthouse assigned them a spillover room. The spectacle didn’t last long.

Interest from the public and news media quickly waned after salacious allegations of Dominican sex workers, flights on private jets and scenes of luxurious villas gave way in the courtroom to technical details about Medicare reimbursements and credit card points to purchase a high-end grill. Jurors weren’t convinced he broke the law.

Now the government has another shot at the senior senator from New Jersey. This next trial, set to play out beginning Monday, promises to be consistently dramatic — and gives prosecutors who’ve eyed Menendez for at least two decades perhaps their best chance to convince a jury of his alleged corruption.