A new story claims that New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez is once again the subject of a federal probe.
Southern District of New York prosecutors “have submitted at least one subpoena in the case,” according to a report by Kadia Goba of the new digital media platform Semafor.
According to reports, the prosecutor’s inquiry was inspired by circumstances comparable to those in a 2015 U.S. DOJ bringing charges of conspiracy and bribery against Menendez and Democratic donor Salomon Melgen. Charges against Menendez and Melgen were eventually dismissed by federal prosecutors.
After “its embarrassing public failure to convict him,” Goba said, “it’s noteworthy to see the Department of Justice return to Menendez.”
In 2015, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen and Senator Bob Menendez were charged with an alleged scheme in which Melgen supplied private jet rides and luxury holidays to Menendez in exchange for the Senator’s aid in securing federal contracts and other governmental favors. The defense team for Menendez claimed that the two were just pals. After the jury was unable to reach a decision in 2017, the investigation was declared a mistrial. (In 2017, Melgen was found guilty of Medicare fraud; in 2021, President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.)
According to a Latest Jersey attorney who has been briefed on the matter and a person with direct knowledge of the investigation, the new inquiry follows a similar general outline to the 2017 case. However, they stressed that a separate set of persons is being looked into in the latest probe.
The Senator is aware of the latest probe, as verified by his office.
According to what Menendez’s advisor Michale Soliman said to Semafor:
Senator Menendez is cognizant of the existence of an inquiry that was reported on today, but he is unaware of its breadth. The Senator and his office remain at your disposal for any formal inquiries that may be made.
The Senator from the Democratic party has been the subject of many government investigations. About ten years ago, Breitbart News reporter Matthew Boyle (then of The Daily Caller) broke the story that Menendez had allegedly paid for the services of a minor prostitute in the Dominican Republic.
Justice Department investigators eventually uncovered “corroborating” evidence for the charges leveled against Menendez.
When the government was “presented with specific, verified claims that defendants Menendez and Melgen had sex with teenage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic,” the DOJ examined the charges “responsibly and meticulously,” as stated in a 2015 filing.
Menendez has served as the Senator for New Jersey. Senate since his vacant appointment in 2005. In 2024, he will be seeking reelection.