Sen Menendez reimbursed donor $58.5K for 2 trips (But, wait...there's more.)

[No Elephants]

Jan 30, 10:36 PM EST

Menendez: reimbursed donor $58.5K for 2 trips

By PETE YOST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Robert Menendez's office said Wednesday night that he reimbursed a prominent Florida political donor $58,500 for the full cost of two of three trips Menendez took on the donor's plane to the Dominican Republic in 2010.

There was no public disclosure.

<snip>

The FBI searched the West Palm Beach, Fla., office of the donor - eye doctor Salomon Melgen - on Tuesday night and early Wednesday, but it was unclear if the raid was related to Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat.

A third trip by Menendez aboard Melgen's plane - a campaign fund-raising journey to the donor's residence in the Dominican Republic - took place in May 2010. That trip was reported to the Federal Election Commission, said Enright.

Menendez categorized the other two trips as personal. The first was from Aug. 6-9, 2010, a round trip from South Florida to the Dominican Republic. The second personal trip was from Sept. 3-6, 2010, from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic and back.

Menendez could have invoked what is known as a "friendship exemption" regarding the two personal trips, which would have required the senator to report the travel to the Senate Ethics Committee as a gift. Instead, Menendez chose to reimburse the full cost of the two trips.

The Daily Caller, a conservative website, reported shortly before the November election that Menendez traveled on Melgen's private plane to the Dominican Republic to engage in sex with prostitutes.

<snip>

On Tuesday, Menendez became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, succeeding Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

Records filed in Palm Beach County show an Internal Revenue Service lien against Melgen of more than $11.1 million for unpaid taxes from 2006 through 2009. Prior liens for taxes from 1998 to 2002 were subsequently withdrawn, records show.

Earlier Wednesday, Menendez's office said Melgen has been a friend and political supporter of the senator for many years and that the three trips that Menendez took have been "paid for and reported appropriately." Menendez's office later changed the statement's wording to specify that the trips had been "paid for or reported appropriately" to correct the impression that all three trips had been publicly reported.

<snip>

Melgen is listed as having an ownership interest in DRM Med Assist, which Federal Aviation Administration records show is the owner of a CL-600 Challenger plane. Flight records for the aircraft were not immediately available.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MENENDEZ?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-30-22-36-43

I wonder if the reimbursement by Menendez occurred before or after the rumors?

Gotta wonder what prompted two prostitutes to come forward?

Republicans are having trouble winning elections based on their candidates and policies. They would have been in even worse shape after Novemember if it had not been for their gerrymandering. (Sadly, that lasts until 2020, when whoever controls the House then gets to re-district. I just hope it's not Republicans.)

So, I think we can "look forward" to more things like this.

Menendez and his wife divorced in 2005 and he does not seem to have re-married. So, even if the accusations are true, the worst thing that he could possibly have done on the personal side would be seeing prostitutes in a location where prostitution is legal. Whooptie do.

On the other hand if the reimbursement for the flight came only after the website exposed the trips, that could be a problem.

FWIW, if anything, Menendez's wiki says that Menendez's mentor was William Musto, who was ssentenced to jail for racketeeering. Musto was notorious for corruption long before his conviction.

Musto had been Mayor of Union City, which itself has a reputation of corruption. Menendez supported Musto's bid for the state Senate and Menendez later became Mayor of Union City.

None of that means Menendez is corrupt, though, and his wiki contains no hint of any wrongdoing on his part. Still, mentor or not, I would never have supported Musto's candidacy for higher office.

[Enthusiast]

1. Another slimly guy in the Senate.

Who would have guessed it. That Republican majority grows ever closer.

FWIW, Menendez testified against William Musto. But that doesn't mean that Menendez isn't corrupt. Looks like they're all corrupt now.

[No Elephants]

2. Were the transcripts of his secret grand jury testimony ever released?

Otherwise, there is only Menendez's word.

Menendez became a member of the Union City Board of Ed. at age 19, thanks to Musto. There was a federal grand jury investigation of corruption on the board. As a member of the board, Menendez testified FOR then Mayor Musto before a federal grand jury, then supported Musto for the state Senate.

In 2006 Menendez's Republican opponent asked for the 1982 grand jury transcripts, which a witness can get released as to his own testimony, if they still exist. The press thought Menendez had requested the transcripts, but there was no evidence that he had. Did Menendez ever release them? If not, we pretty much have only his word.


Either way, I am not impressed about 1982. By that time, Menendez no longer needed Musto and the handwriting was already on the prison wall for Musto. Oh, and Menendez was running against Musto in 1982 for the state senate seat. (Incredibly, Musto won, despite the federal prosecution.)

Wiki contains no info on Menendez's run as Mayor of Union City, which is as corrupt as it gets. I would have expected to see some evidence of clean up by Menendez, unless he joined in.


But, Menendez could have missed Musto's corruption until then, even though Menendez was Mayor of Union City himself, after Musto's corrupt reign. Who knows?

In any event, as to the current controversy, we don't have enough facts yet.

[Enthusiast]

3. Wikipedia said about the testimony.

Never question Wikipedia as a rightful, honest, unimpeachable source of true and honest information.

[No Elephants]

4. I don't think the transcripts got released, But, given that he ran against Musto that same year,

I believe he did testify against him then.