Democratic Sen. Menendez Denies Improper Gifts and Prostitution Use

But he did accept private flights from a rather shady donor

For a brief moment right before the 2012 election, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) was the target of reports that he'd used prostitutes during a junket in the Dominican Republic.

That alleged scandal has now been revived from a new angle: Menendez has been accused of accepting improper gifts from a friend, in the form of a private plane flight to the D.R. He did not report the trips, but reimbursed his donor $58,500 on Jan. 4 of 2013. Senate ethics rules require gifts to be either reported or paid for by the recipient.

The flight gift was revealed by an FBI raid on the office of his donor, opthamologist Salomon Melgen. It's not clear what the FBI raid is about, but it's known that the IRS has a lien on Melgen for $1.1 million in unpaid taxes.

Meanwhile Breitbart.com says they have discovered an even worse aspect to the scandal. The website quotes an FBI agent who claims that Menendez himself is being investigated for using underage prostitutes in the D.R.

Menendez's office says that the controversy is being ginned up by "a politically motivated right-wing blog," according to Menendez's office.

Via Yahoo News and Breitbart.com.

Do you think Menendez acted improperly, or is this a manufactured scandal?

[NTBFW]

I think he really misunderstood his role as Senate Foreign relations chairman. Hiring foreign hookers is not the job.

[get_involved]

That was funny! LOL!

[martydotcom]

just ib case you have interest in the facts not a breitbart.com crock
Katie Johnson. WPTV. West Palm Beach
Jan 31, 2013 6:05 p.m.

Employees are the only ones coming in and out of the Vitreo Retinal Eye Center in West Palm Beach Thursday. The office, which was raided by federal agents, is now closed. An employee walking into the office this morning says Dr. Salomon Melgen typically works out of the West Palm office on Thursdays. Members of the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services were seen taking truck-loads of boxes out of the office of Dr. Salomon Melgen Tuesday night and throughout the day Wednesday. The FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services have yet to comment on the investigation. Sources say investigations by the Department of Health typically surround allegations of Medicare fraud. A sign posted at Melgen's Delray Beach office off Linton Blvd. states the office is also closed. According to the Miami Herald, the doctor owes the IRS more than $11 million. And WPTV investigators found he has still managed to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on campaign donations to several politicians.
Dr. Melgen's attorney issued the following statement Thursday:

"The government has not informed Dr. Melgen what concerns it may have. We are confident that Dr. Melgen has acted appropriately at all times. Additionally, any issues concerning Dr. Melgen and the IRS have been fully resolved and satisfied."
The doctor is also under investigation for his involvement with Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey. Melgen is accused of providing Sen. Menendez with underage prostitutes during trips to the Dominican Republic. The doctor is from the Dominican Republic and has reportedly taken the senator on several trips to the country on the doctor's private plane. Sen. Menendez denies the allegations surrounding the underage prostitutes. His office issued a statement Wednesday saying he had traveled several times on a plane belonging to Melgen but that all the trips were "paid for and reported appropriately."

[NTBFW]

@martydotcom so he denied it. Case closed? It must be easy being a democrat.

[thatgirl]

@NTBFW Funny, Marty didnt say anything about "case closed".

[thejimbo]

He will get censured like Rangel...that is all.....because he's got the goods on other corrupt politicians...no honor amongst thieves.

[Keyjo]

Well, I don't know. If he had sex with a minor, yes. If he accepted illegal gifts, yes. But he is denying it, so I guess he deserves his day in court. And while innocent until proven guilty, I voted "a little of both:" 'cause where there's smoke, there's typically fire.

[Keyjo]

@thatgirl
Hey, you can always count on me!:-D LOL

[Keyjo]

I am not sure why That Girl's post was removed. It seemed pretty civil to me.

[Bobolinsky]

Dude. The guy was screwing underage girls with the understanding that if it ever got out that he liked sex with underage girls that he would be covered just like any
Democrat who likes activities that the rest of us would consider repulsive. You;re extending to this douche the same protection that you and I would provide to Senator Hegel...

And Sen. Menendez...

[marine1]

I think that he just misunderstood the interviewing process and took his probing to a far left extreme?

[get_involved]

He really is a arrogant jerk. He rarely smiles.

[PoliticalSpice]

First time I heard about Dom.Repub. and young prostitutes was that Rush Limbough was a pedophile who went and paid for sex with young boys, which he covered by admitting to the oxicotin drug scandal to distract people from the real story.

[kathyparsell]

If he didn't report the flight and then had taxpayers pay for it, then he is guilty of at least this. I'll wait on the rest but sadly won't be surprised if he is found to be guilty.

[NTBFW]

It would help if the non biased MSM would ask some questions and investigate. But all dems have to do is deny it and its case closed.

[thatgirl]

@NTBFW Like Republicans NEVER do the same thing?

[kathyparsell]

@NTBFW
But they will insist that further investigation would keep them from important work on the economy, jobs and the deficit that they have been so concerned about.

[kathyparsell]

@thatgirl I fully believe that politicians of either party can stick it to us equally but I also think Republicans get more coverage when they do get caught. Maybe because people see them as being pious.

[thatgirl]

@kathyparsell I would venture to say its because Repubs bill themselves as "family value" candidates.

[tomincali]

seems birds of a feather here again. first hiring an illegal alien sex offender and now messing with under age hookers. seems criminal types like each other and this guy having an illegal aliens intern should be enough to have him removed.

[Denizen_Kate]

Did you read a different article? What illegal alien interns? What illegal alien sex offender?

[Jackie312gm]

Remove him from office, END OF STORY!!!!

[tomincali]

@Denizen_Kate this one right here

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/senator-who-h...

[tomincali]

@tomincali for got to add the arrest of the sex offender was put on hold until after his election so it would not draw attention before hand,kind of fishy.

[Denizen_Kate]

@tomincali - Thanks, I hadn't heard about that.

[bsking]

He was going down there to have sex with underage girls. but as long as he's denied it.. and he's a Democrat that's good enough for the state run media.

[marine1]

I'll bet there are pictures somewhere, watch for someone in his close nit group to suddenly become upward mobile.Always remember, a fried in need is a hellofa stepping stone.

[martydotcom]

why not try getting facts not from Breitbart.com
The div owes IRS 11 mil and Medicare Fraud... Breitbarsts scumbag site makes it ably hookers.

http://www.bradenton.com/2013/01/31/4373672/f...

[thatgirl]

@No_Bama Martys post IS in English.

[No_Bama]

@thatgirl Ok then, COHERENT English please?

[Jim49418]

What exactly is "improper protitution use"?

[cleverusername]

Can someone tell me what the friendship clause is? It is in the text below.

ABC

"Federal agents raided the West Palm Beach eye clinic of a longtime friend and political supporter of Sen. Robert Menendez earlier this week after a document shredding truck was observed at the building, following attempts by FBI agents to question Dr. Salomon Melgen about his relationship with the New Jersey Democrat, according to federal officials familiar with the investigation. The execution of the search warrant was carried out by a federal health care task force, with agents from both the FBI and the federal Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General's office, which had been investigating suspected Medicare fraud by Melgen's clinics for more than a year, the sources told ABC News. The raid appeared unrelated to recent allegations regarding Menendez's trips to Melgen's home in the Dominican Republic. The spokesperson confirmed the Senator was a longtime friend of Dr. Melgen and had recently reimbursed Melgen $58,000 for three trips on the doctor's private jet to the Dominican Republic, following a complaint to the Senate Ethics Committee by a Samuel Thompson, a New Jersey state senator and chair of the Middlesex County Republican Organization, in November 2012, just days prior to Menendez's reelection. The spokesperson said the Senator was advised by Democratic campaign finance attorneys that under the "friendship" exclusion he likely didn't need to reimburse the cost of the trips, but to avoid any questions of impropriety decided to repay the full cost. "
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/officials-sen-m...

[Dan_Tien]

"Menendez has been accused of accepting improper gifts from a friend, in the form of a private plane flight to the D.R. He did not report the trips, but reimbursed his donor $58,500 on Jan. 4 of 2013."

That is one expensive plane ticket!

[thejimbo]

Must be nice to take dozens of trips and only pay when caught...

[stepped_in_it]

It's not the plane ticket that costs.....it's the in flight toilet! Ask the military about them expensive toilets, they're experts in them!

[cleverusername]

So lets see he has employed an intern who was an illegal immigrant and sex offender. Has a so called very close friend that is being investigated for medicare fraud that seemingly wont cooperate with investigators. Accepted private plane rides from said friend in the cost of ten of thousands of dollars. And has an underage prostitute sex scandal.
Yep he is a politician.

[Speedieg]

Hmm me thinks he is hiding something, perhaps a Dominican prostitute.

[Hireman]

Until there's proof of wrongdoing, he's innocent. I'm confident they'll find something considering the mounting evidence. I think within a few months, he'll be announcing a retirement.

[Penn1699]

I certainly believe the story unfolding here. The media tends to overdramatize and ad-lib subjects as well.
They will have evidence against him. They will find him guilty (most likely).
Then they will smack him on the hands and he will return to his same job.

[SignifiedNBlue]

Oh my, another pervert. Surprise,,surprise lol

[RobertJHarsh]

I thought that Improper Gifts and Prostitution were benefits for being a Senator? Rep? President? Governor?

[Vance1]

Yes, absolutely...Typical ObamaCare democrat

[harold_lloyd]

There may be something to it, but Breirbart's reputation is hardly spotless.

[cleverusername]

Wow if he was republican the regular lefts on here would be having an unrelenting vile and bigoted filled hate fest . Racist , tea bagger, nazi, redneck, pervert etc etc etc But it's a dem and the rights are being mellow and realistic. Also the those that say vile stuff daily but claim to hate both parties equally are very silent here. I am starting to see a pattern here. One that carries over to the majority of those on the left throughout the States.

[ConserveUSA]

OMG, there would be a riot from the lefties.

[stephen]

if a dem. us sen. cant be bribe what is this world coming to....