Washington — The Justice Department said Thursday it will not file charges against Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., ending an influence-peddling investigation that threatened to derail his hard-charging career and hurt Democratic chances of keeping its Senate majority.
The decision, announced by the New York U.S. Attorney's office, clears a criminal cloud that had hung over Torricelli for more than a year. It had made him a vulnerable target in November's elections, when his party's one-seat edge in the Senate will be at stake.
The probe's outcome is an embarrassing setback to the Justice Department, which devoted years to the investigation and faced criticism that it was trying to force the senator into a legal surrender last year by leaking details of its inquiry to the news media.
To many in Washington, the conclusion of the investigation was seen as perhaps the last of many Clinton-era campaign finance scandals that produced more headlines than convictions.
Torricelli was accused of trading political favors for cash and other gifts from a wealthy New Jersey businessman, David Chang.
U.S. Atty. Mary Jo White said she had decided not to press charges after "an exhaustive investigation" by her office, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Customs Service. In Washington, Deputy Atty. Gen. Larry Thompson said he was satisfied with White's decision.
Torricelli said he was eager to get past an ordeal he described as "lengthy and personally painful."
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