The judge who presided over the corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) tossed the biggest bribery charges against him on Wednesday, according to a report, “saying there was no evidence presented to a jury last year that $660,000 in campaign contributions from co-defendant Salomon Melgen were given as part of a corrupt bargain.”

Other charges remain; however, the seven charges represented a sizable portion of the case against the senior senator.

NorthJersey.com has the story here.

“The judge dismissed seven bribery charges based upon the political contribution theory,” said veteran defense attorney and InsiderNJ legal analyst Joe Hayden. “That is, the political contributions were themselves bride because he said there was no proof of a quid pro quo.”