Prominent US Senator to face criminal charges
Colin Campbell
Press TV, Washington
He’s the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez may soon be fighting for his political life as federal investigators plan to file criminal charges against him.
Menendez has been at the center of a probe connected to alleged misconduct linked to longtime donor Salomon Melgen, a prominent Florida eye doctor.
Menendez has been consistently denied doing anything wrong.Authorities allege that Menendez protected and received perks and benefits from the doctor despite claims that Melgen defrauded clients by overbilling them.
Menendez has since repaid Melgen $60,000 for a roundtrip ticket on a private jet for vacations in the Dominican Republic. The Justice department is weighing charges of bribery or accepting gratuities, according to people close to the case. Menendez is however, defending his actions as harmless.
Menendez is also accused of using his position in the Senate Foreign Relations committee to advocate on behalf of one of Melgen’s investments--a port security contract in the Dominican Republic.
Menendez’s office says any failures to report payments for plane rides or trips were nothing more than an oversight. It also says that Menendez Melgen had a longstanding friendship. The two spent holidays together and have gone to intimate family events and exchanged gifts according to those close to Menendez.
The investigation has been ongoing for two years. Menendez's lawyer and a spokesman are being tight-lipped about the impending charges. But they are expected to be filed in the Democrat's home state of New Jersey.
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