“In 2008, the Justice Department took the unusual step of indicting a sitting United States senator. Prosecutors described the senator, Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, as a crafty politician who concealed the expensive gifts that had been lavished upon him by one of his friends, a millionaire oil contractor. The case ultimately collapsed, becoming an embarrassing cautionary tale about overzealous prosecuting,” the New York Times reports.

“Now, federal corruption prosecutors are close to once again bringing charges against a senator, Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. The Justice Department’s public corruption unit, which was overhauled after the Stevens case, is running the investigation. Once again, the case involves a lawmaker and gifts from a wealthy friend.”