Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.) made an emotional address to the press outside the courthouse where his federal corruption trial resulted in a mistrial on Thursday.
Menendez thanked God and his family for helping him through an "unjust prosecution," and he choked up talking about his children, Rob and Alicia. He paused at the microphone for a while before thanking God for the hung jury, which was unable to come to a verdict on each of the 18 counts of corruption charges.
"Well, first and above all, I want to thank God, because it is by his grace that I was delivered from an unjust prosecution," Menendez said.
"I want to thank my children: Alicia, who was here every day with me in court and brought my lovely granddaughter Evangelina to New Jersey so I could remember what I had to fight on for," he added. "My son, Rob, who testified on my behalf and then joined his sister in court, who kept me company and even let me beat him in a round of golf."
"I'm so blessed to have two great children. I love you so much, I can't—" he said, sniffing and appearing to hold back tears.
"I can't truly thank you," he finished. "I want to thank my sister Caridad and her husband Pete. Their presence and the Bible passages my sister would send me were an incredible strength for me."