Kilkenny discusses Mendez’s “corrupt” actions.
In 2015, Obama’s federal prosecutors obtained an indictment against the U.S. senator from New Jersey, Bob Menendez. The charges related to the facts that the senator repeatedly accepted gifts of significant value from his close friend and Democratic Party donor, Florida ophthalmologist, Salomon Melgen. The gifts included luxury private plane flights, stays in Paris hotels and free accommodation at a Dominican Republic villa on 19 occasions. A special FBI document reported they had “specific corroborated allegations” that Menendez and Melgen had sex with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, the youngest being 15 years of age.
Senator Menendez also advanced Melgen’s business interests in Washington, lobbying a cabinet official over a Medicare billing dispute, and supporting visa applications for Melgen’s overseas girlfriends. The indictment also noted that in 2012, the Senate Majority PAC accepted two separate $300,000 contributions from Melgen’s company earmarked for Senator Menendez’s re-election. Federal prosecutors called all this a quid pro quo in its indictment and did obtain an indictment against the senator. However, they were forced to drop the charges after the Supreme Court tightened the standards on proving such cases. Melgen, however, was convicted in 2017 of Medicare fraud and has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.
This April, a bipartisan letter from the Senate Ethics Committee “severely admonished” Senator Menendez, judging him as being corrupt in recent years, having abused his office, scorned ethics rules, and brought “discredit” on the senate.
Citizens of New Jersey must decide this November if this is the type of individual whom we want to represent us in the U.S. Senate.
Frank Kilkenny
