Teflon Don has walked free again – leaving frustrated Democrats back at square one

The result of the Senate trial didn’t surprise those of us following proceedings in our Washington and New York bureaux – but it will have a ripple effect

They called him the Teflon Don. No matter what John Gotti Jr, head of the fearsome Gambino crime family, was accused of, nothing seemed to stick.

In the 1980s he repeatedly stood trial on charges of racketeering and conspiracy and always found a way out. Witnesses suddenly became forgetful when they found their car’s brake lines cut. Certain jurors proved susceptible to being persuaded to look the other way.

A triumphant Gotti, whose rough charm and love of publicity had made him a celebrity, would emerge beaming from court, eager to get back to his nefarious activities.