By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

So much to dig through after yesterday’s news of corruption charges against Sen. Robert Menendez:

We’ll start with a piece in The Atlantic. David Graham follows the case against Menendez down a very fine line between what’s usual and what’s illegal. It begins to form a picture of how this case will go – a nuanced path where familiarity and influence meet appearance and legality.

The Daily Beast’s Michael Daly published another backgrounder that has good information, and manages to read a bit like a telenovela. It’s a good read that delves into the shadowy corners of the case.

Politico goes into the weeds and breaks the case against Menendez down to the meaning of friendship. Apparently, according to Politico’s Adam Lerner, that’s where the Senator’s defense team will base their case – what happened between Menendez and Dr. Melgen was done in the course of a normal friendship.

And there are also a couple of expected articles that aren’t necessarily about the charges against the Senator:

NCLR’s Janet Murguia was quick to the keyboard yesterday, publushing a piece in Huffington Post that extols Menendez’s record of service to the U.S. Latino community.

PolitickerNJ takes a long political view. Max Pizarro looks at how the charges against Menendez will impact Hillary Clinton’s 2016 prospects. Too soon?

Here are the stories.

The Case Against Robert Menendez

By David A. Graham, The Atlantic

“Politics as usual”—it’s a phrase that’s rooted in a cynical view of how our elected officials operate. The assumption is that even if what they’re doing isn’t exactly illegal, it’s probably untoward.

The central theme of the Department of Justice’s 68-page indictment of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is the line between what’s usual and what’s illegal. The indictment concerns the Democrat’s relationship with Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist. The two have been friends for years, and their relationship has been under media scrutiny for some time.

Click HERE to read the full story.

The Soaking Tub Bob Menendez Craved

By Michel Daly, The Daily Beast

If the indictment unsealed this week lands Sen. Bob Menendez in a prison cell, he will at least have the memory of the $1,536.96-a-night suite with a woman in a five-star Paris hotel—thanks to the generosity of his good friend and now co-defendant, Dr. Salomon Melgen.

“King bed, work area with internet, limestone bath with soaking tub and enclosed rain shower,” Menendez wrote in an email allegedly asking his pal to make the reservation and pick up the tab.

Click HERE to read the full story.

Menendez case comes down to the meaning of friendship

By Adam B. Lerner, Politico

The Justice Department’s corruption case against Sen. Robert Menendez could come down to a friendship test.

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday accused Menendez of brazenly accepting lavish gifts and campaign contributions from Florida eye surgeon Saloman Melgen and, in exchange, using his office to secure visas for Melgen’s foreign girlfriends and trying to save the doctor millions of dollars in Medicare billing disputes.

While the indictment portrays a criminal arrangement between a powerful senator and a wealthy donor, the case will likely boil down to whether prosecutors can convince a jury that all of the exchanges weren’t part of a normal friendship.

Click HERE to read the full story.

Senator Robert Menendez’s Unparalleled Record of Service to the Latino Community

By Janet Murguia, Huffington Post Latino Voices

We are saddened to learn the news today about Senator Robert Menendez. Under the American justice system, those accused are presumed innocent until proven otherwise, and Hispanic Americans have every reason to give the senator the benefit of the doubt. For when it comes to assessing Senator Menendez’s record in Congress, there is no doubt about his effectiveness.

For millions of Latinos across the nation, Senator Bob Menendez is more than just the senior senator from New Jersey. To the Hispanic community, Senator Menendez has been our voice and our champion in the United States Senate. In the more than 20 years he has been in Congress, Senator Menendez has consistently been one of the most thoughtful, constant, and eloquent advocates not only for Latinos, but for working families, consumers, and the country’s interests abroad.

Click HERE to read the full story.

How a damaged Menendez impacts Clinton’s 2016 prospects

By Max Pizarro, PolitickNJ

From a 2016 perspective, U.S. Senator Menendez (D-N.J.) wounded boomerangs beyond the boundaries of New Jersey politics and onto Hillary Clinton and her presidential prospects.

The feds indicted Menendez this afternoon.

“She will have to distance herself from him,” a Menendez ally told PolitickerNJ. “It takes away a lot of that Hispanic appeal. He is the most prominent Democratic Hispanic and if he is not visible, [Florida Senator Marco] Rubio comes out a lot stronger.”

Clinton and Menendez have a longstanding political alliance and party sources expected the New Jersey senator to play a front-line national role as a Clinton surrogate. Even if he ultimately survives the indictment, if he’s bogged down in federal court for the foreseeable future, he will not be able to play the part of super-sized Hispanic ally for Clinton next year, according to fretful Democratic sources.

Click HERE to read the full story.