New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez Needs to Go Now

Simply Not Cavorting with Prostitutes is Not the Standard for Serving in the U. S. Senate

A nasty scandal is enveloping New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, and apparently he is going to fight the allegations.  He is accused of improper behavior with prostitutes, which does not appear to be supported by any evidence. But there is no question that he traveled on the private jet of a person who has had problems with Medicare reimbursement, and that he failed, until publicity reigned, to pay for the trips.

Sen. Menendez - Not Convicted of a Crime, Qualified to Serve in the U. S. Senate

Menendez initially tried to dismiss allegations in November by The Daily Caller that he had sex with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic following several trips to the Caribbean island on the private jet of a friend and big donor, Salomon Melgen, a Florida eye surgeon.

The New Jersey Democrat vehemently dismissed the reports as false and a “smear job” by a conservative publication, as the first story ran on Nov. 1, just days before his reelection.

But the story gained traction last week when the FBI and investigators from the Department of Health and Human Services raided Melgen’s office in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Since the story first broke, Menendez has repaid $58,500 for the cost of two 2010 flights on Melgen’s jet to the Dominican Republic, claiming his failure to do so was simply an “administrative mistake.

Yeah, just an ‘administrative mistake’ where he skipped out on a $58,000 payment he needed to make.  All of us make that kind of mistake all the time. But the real problem is that Sen. Menendez apparently used his office to try and intercede with Medicare on problem his ‘friend’ Melgen was having.

Adding to the renewed attention were Menendez’s ties to Melgen, who owns a home in a mega-exclusive Dominican enclave frequented by such VIPs as former President Bill Clinton. Melgen is currently involved in several legal fights with federal agencies and is being investigated for Medicare fraud.

How did this involve the Senator?  Well there is this.

Menendez and his staff have now taken their message to their allies on and off Capitol Hill, and are trying to refute reports that the senator used his office to bolster Melgen’s business. The New York Times reported last week that the senator intervened with State and Commerce Department officials on behalf of a Melgen-owned company trying to enforce a lucrative port-security contract with the Dominican government.

Melgen and his family have been huge Democratic donors over the years, including donating $700,000 to a Senate Democratic super PAC that spent nearly $600,000 to help Menendez win reelection last year.

So yeah, nothing here, right?  Every citizen of New Jersey can expect Sen. Menendez to intervene on their behalf, as long as they give him private jet rides to the Dominican Republic  and give $600,000 to his campaign, washed through a Super Pac of course.