What the cases of Robert Menendez and Henry Cuellar have in common

Bribery cases can be hard to get across to a jury if the alleged quid pro quo is subtle or indirect. Mr Menendez’s habits of personal finance have provided prosecutors with some useful visual aids. Last week they showed jurors photos of the alleged loot seized from the senator’s home: not just the now-famous gold bars, but also wads of cash stuffed into a Timberland boot. Federal agents found more cash in bags and in two of the senator’s jackets. The FBI got so flustered counting the money by hand that it had to have two cash-counting machines brought in to tally what turned out to be $486,461.