E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez this month wrote a $58,500 check to a company owned by a South Florida eye doctor and political fundraiser to reimburse him for two personal flights to the Dominican Republic that the New Jersey Democrat did not report on his Senate financial disclosure form, his office confirmed to NBC News Wednesday night.
The disclosure came as law enforcement sources confirmed that FBI agents searched the West Palm Beach, Florida, offices of the doctor, Salomon Melgen, Tuesday night as part of an investigation that includes agents from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Melgen is a major Democratic political donor and fundraiser who together with family has contributed more than $200,000 to Democratic candidates, including $33,000 to Menendez.
Menendez’s office confirmed that the senator — who this week became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – wrote the check to Melgen from his personal account after aides reviewed his flight schedule in response to a complaint that a New Jersey Republican official filed with the Senate Ethics Committee last November. The complaint alleged that Menendez violated Senate Ethics rules by “repeatedly flying on a free jet to the Dominican Republic and other locations” and that the jet was provided by Melgen.
“This was sloppy,” Dan O’Brien, Menendez’s chief of staff, told NBC News about Menendez’s failure to pay for the two 2010 flights at the time. “I’m chalking it up to an oversight.” Asked whether the senator has been contacted by the Senate Ethics Committee about the matter, O’Brien responded: “We can assume the Senate Ethics Committee is looking at the allegation. ”
O’Brien provided new details about Menendez’s relationship with the Florida doctor amid a swirl of media reports about the FBI probe. He said Menendez and the doctor have been longtime personal friends and that the senator has visited Melgen at his home in the Dominican Republican “about twice a year,” including attending Melgen’s daughter’s wedding. He said Menendez has generally flown commercial for those flights and paid for them out of his own pocket.
He confirmed that Melgen has also been an active fundraiser for Menendez, holding events for him at his home in South Florida as well as at a home he owns in Caso de Campo, a Dominican resort.
All told, the senator took three flights aboard Melgen’s jet in 2010 — one of which that May involved a trip to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republican for political fundraisers, O’Brien said. One of those fundraisers was at Melgen’s home in the Dominican Republic, O’Brien said. The May 2010 flight for fundraisers on the two islands was paid for at the time by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Menendez then chaired.
But after the ethics complaint was filed Nov. 3, his aides conducted what they described as an “exhaustive review of Menendez’s schedule” and found that the senator had taken two additional flights aboard Melgen’s corporate jet. One, from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9, 2010, was from south Florida to the Dominican Republic and back to south Florida. Another was from Sept. 3 to Sept. 6, 2010, was from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to the Dominican Republican and back to New Jersey. In at least one of those flights, Menendez brought along guests, O’Brien said.
O’Brien said that after the review — spurred by the ethics complaint — Menendez wrote the $58,500 to Melgen’s company from his personal account. Under Senate ethics rules, senators are allowed to accept gifts from personal friends, but any valued at more than $250 must be publicly reported and approved by the Senate Ethics Committee.
In a statement earlier Wednesday, Menendez’s office said that: “Dr. Melgen has been a friend and political supporter of Senator Menendez for many years. Senator Menendez has traveled on Dr. Melgen’s plane on three occasions, all of which have been paid for and reported appropriately.”
That statement made no reference to Menendez paying for the trips in January, two months after the ethics committee complaint was filed. Asked about the omission, a spokeswoman for the senator said: “There was never any intention to be misleading.”
The spokeswoman said the senator was not aware of any time requirement for reimbursing for personal trips. She also said Menendez, by reimbursing for the flights, was not claiming the trips aboard Dr. Melgen’s plane was a personal gift. Although personal gifts above $250 need ethics committee approval, Menendez was not claiming the flights as a gift and therefore does not need to seek approval of them from the committee, the spokeswoman said.
Leave a Comment:
Is it ethical to hire a illegal immigrant whose a sex offender? There are millions of Americans who are out of work and he hires an illegal? Gee, that sounds just about right for someone pushing an immigration bill! He was flying to Brazil to visit underage prostitutes from what I read in an unbiased report.
Just another hollier then thou,democratic liberal who got caught. Thank God for Fox News for telling the truth.
Wow no mention of CHILD RAPE? Way to really crack this story NBC. Protecting alleged solicitor of underage girls for sex - to pursue your own agenda? Is there no (alleged) crime you would cover up to make sure liberals don't look bad?
NBC and MSNBC have become the most corrupt mainstream media organization in US history. They edit video in ways to try and "invent" news, narratives and alternate realities in order to try and push their liberal agenda on the populous. They also craft headlines and decide what to cover purely based on their politics. CBS and ABC aren't far behind, but NBC is simply the worst. They are an enemy of this country.
It's ironic that democrats should actually want republicans in office...that way we as citizens can know that at least big media will be scrutinizing every tiny detail of what they do 24/7. That's how the media is supposed to work. They are supposed to be watchdogs.
I hear you hr-sooner. Today, unions want an exemption from obamacare. Do you believe it? The mutual admiration society of obama and unions, unions who got obama re-elected and backed his obamascare now want no parts of it cause they can't afford it! We have been so taken in by these dems and it is due, in large part to MSM. Not a word about this on NBC, ABC, CBS. The citizens of the US suckered again. I'll bet they're having a good laugh in the white house over this.
It must be nice to be able to just write a check to payoff "oversights" and carry on unabated. If any of us lowlings had an "oversight" like this we would end up in court or worse. The privieleges of being in the ruling class.
Typical corrupt New Jersey Democrat
Well Staff for Menendez. Is he about to resign. You can leak it for us!
Just LOVE how MSNBC makes NO mention that there are numerous reports of allegations of underage prostitutes that Menendez has been with in Dom Rep going back years!! If he was a Repub he would be front page, hung in effigy. The cr*p is about to hit the fan Mr Menendez, you lying cheat. I LOVE it when these primadonnas on the hill get caught in their criminal affairs. Just put at the head of a committee too, maybe he can head up the prison gang rape support group. Liberal media and libtard hypocrites make me SICK!!
Well as you say he has been caught and will pay the price!
If he had Prostitutes in another Country is he expelled by the Senate?
Statutory rape in another nation is actually prosecutable in the United States. Federal law passed that has to do with human trafficking. EVERY Federal employee/soldier/contractor falls under this law. And since Mendendez IS a Federal employee of the people, he falls under it too.
Can Menendez, the rest of the democrats and all their left wing media buddies just say "oops"....lol...if it had been a Republican "oops" they would have been up in arms and demanding an investigation, the media would have been blaring out the headlines but instead they are all quiet on the front...can't WAIT to see what comes up on the illegal, underage prostitute allegations...something tells me that the state of NJ is gonna be needing a new senator before too long...lol
I'm a Democrat , by the way, left of center. I've always worried about Menendez given his past pecadillos . He's been investigated at least twice, once in the Senate, and once as mayor of a town in NJ. This guy is extremely bright, but at the same time, either dumb or has passion for corruption. He should have known better. I wouldn't care if he gets the boot as long as he can be replaced with a Democrat. Repukes would love nothing more that erode my party's majority in the US Senate. Menendez should retire at the end of this term, PERIOD.
And you, holier than thou Republicans , when are you going to expel Sen Vetter from Louisiana for paying a prostitue for months? That is a crime! Why do Democrats like Spitzer and McGreedy have to resign when you whores stay in the Senate?
Yh.....Vetter paid an ADULT prostitute for months, and ADMITTED it. He didn't commit statutory rape and then deny it as a "right wing conspiracy". And just in case you don't understand "statutory" it means RAPING A CHILD, no matter who he paid.
Meanwhile people like YOU celebrate people like Clinton and Menendez LYING about it. Geez, people like YOU make Clinton the most popular and influential Democrat in the nation. And all he did was commit adultery in the White House, lie to a Federal Judge, lie a Federal Grand Jury, and even stuck his finger in YOUR face and lie. And you celebrated his getting away with purgery and dishonesty.
Your SO funny, "retire at the end of his term" LOLOLOL, if he really did what is being reported he will be lucky to luckey to stay out of prison let alone finish his term.
Go ahead and deflect but this is YOUR predator, your ilk voted for him.
Libtard, SOOOO stupid.
Cheryl, you need a colonoscopy. What's up your butt about Clinton> Adultery you say? STFU unless you want to point fingers at : Gingrich, Giulianni, Burton, Hyde, Barr,Livingston, Vetter, Ensign, Craig (with a male undercover cop). Paying for a prostitute is a crime
Well YHbua..There's one BIG obvious{should be even to you}difference between Clinton and the others you mentioned..They DIDN'T screw an intern in THE WHITE HOUSE..The PRESIDENT is supposed to be a reflection of his people to the world..Be a representative to the world of American Values..NOT screw everything with panties on, then proceed to lie and cheat his blame someone else tyring to get his way out of it....No wait..On second thought, THAT'S more or less what we've become the past few years..No morals, No values..And look what its gotten us..We cant even send our kids to school and know they will return to us in the evening because of the "do what you want, when you want, as long as it feels good", mentality that's come back to bite us in the A$$....That lying, cheating, adultering Ba$tard Clinton would be a PERFECT example of what we've become..
Blade...these Republican cheaters did their thing in the 80's and 90's except for Vitter ans Craig (at least that's when they were caught. Amazing how Craig, caught trying to grab a cop's salami in a men's room, voted to impeach, just like Gingrich, Hyde , Barr, Burton, Livingston and Ensign.
Cut your highground morality. Adultery's been around since the creation of man...Have you read the Bible? I have not but I assume you have.
Eisenhower had his mistress, Kennedy had more than one, Reagan engaged in an affair with First Lady, Nancy while married to his first wife. Are you a pastor?
OH yes...the old "I forgot"....or..."it must have just slipped by" trick..
Imagine if that were you or I...just an average citizen...we would be in jail!!
Why is that idiot excused.. a voted-in public servant...violated the public trust...he should be OUT (without a pension)
Menendez loves to campaign. All that baby kissing gives him wood.
Don't get too excited about Menendez....Rubio's resume is even murkier. As for the third Cuban in the Senate, Cruz from Texas, something will come up. He is a pompous Think Tank elitist who wants to decide who goes to Foggy Bottom and the DOD when he himself NEVER volunteered for the service. Yet he's stoking the flames of war against Iran. He'll send thousands of our sons and daughters to die while he remains in his cushy job in the Senate.Obviously the Dumb Texas Tea Party does not do its homwork. They vote for the loudest and most reactionary voice in their primaries. Have they seen his birth certificate?
Sen. Vitter's Madam Problem
One of the strangest things about Monday's late-breaking revelation that Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R) was a client of the "D.C. Madam" was the way in which the senator himself disclosed it. Turns out, it maybe had to do with the threatening phone call Vitter got from Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, AKA the D.C. Madam. (AP photo)
A lawyer for the D.C. Madam told The Sleuth that Flynt, "through his agents," contacted Vitter Monday morning telling him that the senator's phone number showed up in the phone records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the Madam herself (a tip of The Sleuth's hat to ABC for posting the Flynt connection first.)
Vitter, 46, issued an apology eight hours later to the Associated Press and the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
They must of read the "Obama handbook for survival in the political arena"....Page 1...Section 1...Paragraph 1....NEVER own up to ANYTHING..ALWAYS, reflect and BLAME someone, ANYONE else..Preferably George Bush..
Dear BLADE , did you go to school in the mountains of West VA? The proper way is:
"They must have read...
Where's the "Assault rifle" with the high capacity magazine in this story? I'm so used to READING about one in EVERY damn story that NBC writes lately, that I'm having "Assault weapons" with drawl...Maybe that's what the FBI was investigating him for..IMPORTING "Assault weapons" illegally..Come on NBC..Do you JOB...mention "Assault weapon" just once I'm begging you PLEASE!!!!
Now we can include Menendez as another representative of the best corrupt government that money can buy.
Can you spell hypocrite? N-E-W J-E-R-S-E-Y D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T
Did I miss something here? Not one mention of the under age prostitute allegations. If this was a republican senator that would have been the headline.
BINGO! Same here. NBC would be all over this if it were a R.
It is political-driven. And Sen. Menendez has also helped people too, and hope that the ethic committee does not ignore the other part that he does help people in financial means.
No mention of the 16 yr old hooker he was with down there with, eh.
Shouldn't he be gone by now?
The best thing I can say about this greasy bozo is his daughter is pretty hot, although a little too top heavy!
No such thing as "too top heavy"
Remember, this piece of crap was appointed initially by jon corzine. That pretty much tells the whole story.
Yeah.......Jon Corzine is the SUPER @S H I T ; Menendez is just a BIG TIRD!
Menendez to press........OOOOPPPSS! Got caught - Oversight - Will Repay - Sorry - Won't Happen Again !!
What a F.....G deal. I guess we should offer the same deal to all prisoners convicted of robbery. Would that not be fair; at least they have served some time in the slammer for their crimes whereas all Menendez has served is time in the sack with under aged chicks. What a F.....G Deal!
I want you all to know.. This story has been taken off my msn page. I had to use the back arrows to find it.
Not so important..lmao This is how they report news on one of their own....