Powerful Senate Democrat Faces Corruption Charges

For two years, Robert Menendez, one of the most prominent foreign-policy hawks in the Senate, has angrily dismissed allegations of a quid pro quo deal with a longtime friend and political donor as baseless. His staff has criticized reporters for even raising the issue, despite the widely known existence of an FBI probe into his ties to Salomon Melgen, a prominent Florida eye doctor.

Menendez may not be able to bottle up the story much longer: CNN and other media outlets reported Friday that the Justice Department is preparing to bring criminal corruption charges against the New Jersey Democrat in a matter of weeks.

The case centers on Menendez’s relationship with Melgen, a prominent political donor to the senator.

Shortly after CNN published its story, Menendez spokeswoman Tricia Enright released a statement to reporters denying any unlawful behavior. “As we have said before, we believe all of the senator’s actions have been appropriate and lawful and the facts will ultimately confirm that,” she said. “Any actions taken by Senator Menendez or his office have been to appropriately address public policy issues and not for any other reason.”

The central question for federal investigators is whether Menendez improperly attempted to convince Medicare to change its reimbursement policies in a manner that would make Melgen millions of dollars. The fact that Menendez took free plane trips with Melgen to the Dominican Republic and later reimbursed the doctor to the tune of $58,000 after the federal investigation became public didn’t help Menendez’s case. (The senator described his failure to disclose the flights as an “oversight.”)

According to CNN, prosecutors want to question Menendez’s aides about calls and meetings they held in 2012 about Melgen’s battle with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Menendez’s lawyers have argued that emails and testimony by aides should be shielded by the constitutional protections afforded to members of Congress carrying out their duties.

The case, if it proceeds, will be a high-profile test of the Justice Department’s ability to take down a sitting senator with powerful connections on Capitol Hill. Menendez is one of the most high-ranking Hispanic members of Congress and the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where’s he known for his staunchly pro-Israel and anti-Cuba views. Menendez has also broken with the White House over its nuclear negotiations with Iran and is a co-sponsor of a bill — which the president has threatened to veto — that would establish a congressional review of the Iran talks.

Because the allegations surrounding him coincided with a dubious conservative smear about Menendez soliciting prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, the New Jersey Democrat has sought to link attacks against him as part of a broader campaign engineered by his political opponents.

The fact that Menendez has vocally opposed the White House’s foreign-policy agenda on everything from its rapprochement with Cuba to its Iran nuclear deal to its handling of Russian aggression in Ukraine could provide fodder to defenders alleging a politically motivated prosecution against the gadfly senator. If his combative public statements in the past are any guide to his future behavior, Menendez is certain to go to the mat to clear his name.

Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment on the reported charges Friday.

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