New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on corruption charges
Source: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Bob Menendez has been charged with using his office to improperly benefit a Florida eye doctor and political donor.
A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted the New Jersey Democrat on charges including conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud.
Prosecutors had been investigating whether Menendez improperly advocated for the business interests of Dr. Salomon Melgen, including by intervening on the doctor's behalf in a medical billing dispute.
Menendez has acknowledged that he flew on Melgen's private plane to the Dominican Republic and failed at first to properly pay for the trips. He later made reimbursements.
Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has previously said he's done nothing wrong and that he and Melgen have been close friends for a long time.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-sen-bob-menendez-indicted-corruption-charges-195317722--politics.html
olddots
(10,237 posts)like a fly on a poop .
PatrynXX
(5,668 posts)in poop with Menards.... this is old old news not Scotts of course
still_one
(92,382 posts)Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)davepc
(3,936 posts)Also a big supporter of the GrammLeachBliley Act and good friend of big business and big banks.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Wilms
(26,795 posts)until a special election. Don't how long that takes.
http://www.app.com/story/news/politics/new-jersey/2015/04/01/menendez-senate-resign-successors/70787236/
yellowcanine
(35,701 posts)There is no easy out here for anybody.
fredamae
(4,458 posts)Well, that puts him in Gov Rick Scotts class doesn't it?
laserhaas
(7,805 posts)Corruption is ALL over the place - So they can nail any Senator and/or Congressmen they wish to.
Question is - WHY?
Jon Ace
(243 posts)Maybe he didn't want to play ball with someone.
laserhaas
(7,805 posts)I just wish WE could interview the guy - and get the facts...
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)America's unofficial leader Bibi Netanyahu will save him for being a loyal poodle.
drray23
(7,637 posts)For this Israeli senator posing as a US senator.
Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)He's done. He won't survive this trial.
forest444
(5,902 posts)This indictment is especially important because Menéndez was the sole Senate Democrat controlled by what's arguably the world's most vile and obscene banker, Cayman Islands-based vulture fund NML Capital ringleader Paul Singer.
This is the same Paul Singer that has bilked taxpayers out of $12 billion in TARP funds, while liquidating Delphi Automotive and Caesar's Entertainment and tens of thousands of good jobs. Singer has also become one of the top funders of almost every teahadist cause you can imagine from the GOP itself on down. Despite facilitating massive tax evasion and money laundering from his vulture fund in the Caymans, Singer enjoys full access to U.S. courts, and has, as many know, been using this access to hold bondholders money hostage in the Argentine case (the one in which he bought bonds for $48 million, but is now demanding $900 million despite already collecting on the CDS insurance on same).
Singer controls numerous Republicans in both the House and Senate, but his stooge in the Democratic side was always the same one: Bob Menéndez.
So good riddance, Bob. I'm sure the Dominican Republic brothels will miss you.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)yellowcanine
(35,701 posts)I don't know whether Menendez is guilty or not. I think the prosecutors have a much tougher job than they did with McDonnell , as Menendez had a long standing friendship with Melgen. It is not as if he conveniently invented the friendship as Bob McDonnell did. Maybe a rather low bar but it is real, particularly when it comes to juries, where one juror can dig in their heels and refuse to convict.