pecially fred, my chief of staff, my political director and my special assistant. now let me say a few things. the way this case started was wrong, the way it was investigated was wrong, the way it was prosecuted was wrong, and the way it was tried was wrong as well. certain elements of the f.b.i. and of our state cannot understand or even worse accept that the latino kid from union city and hudson county can grow up to be a united states senator and be honest. i can't even begin to tell you how many people have come to tell me that the f.b.i. went to them and asked them what can you give us on menendez? that is not what the f.b.i. and the department of justice is supposed to be doing. and they are not supposed to be leaking to the press during the early stages of their my stigation which violated rights to a fair process. i have made my share of mistakes, but my mistakes were never a crime. i have learned through this process a lot about our system of justice. it is truly a system of justice you can afford. i understand why so many americans feel that justice is e