The dismissal of the indictment against Bob Menendez clears the way for him to regain the ranking Democrat position on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If Democrats regain the majority in the Senate this year, he would be in line to chair the committee.
Menendez, who chaired the foreign relations panel from 2013 to 2015, stepped away from his post three years ago while defending himself against DOJ accusations. The current ranking member is Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland). Once a federal judge approves the DOJ motion to drop the case, the Senate Democratic leadership is expected to return the ranking post to Menendez.