SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
US Senator Bob Menendez Indicted on Corruption Charges
Apr 02, 2015
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was indicted on multiple charges Wednesday related to accusations of corruption and misuse of power.
The allegations stem from a close relationship between Menendez and one of his longtime friends and political supporters, Dr. Salomon Melgen, who was also charged.
According to the Associated Press:
A defiant New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez declared that he's "not going anywhere" after he was charged with accepting nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors.
Menendez is expected to appear in federal court in Newark Thursday in response to charges that he used the power of his Senate seat to benefit Dr. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye doctor who prosecutors say provided the senator with luxury vacations, airline travel, golf trips and tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to a legal defense fund.
The indictment, which marks the latest development in a federal investigation that came into public view when federal authorities raided Melgen's medical offices in 2013, will almost certainly lead to a drawn-out legal fight between Menendez and a team of Justice Department prosecutors who have spent years investigating his ties to Melgen.
As The Atlantic explains in its in-depth review of the case:
[Menendez and Melgen] have been friends for years, and their relationship has been under media scrutiny for some time. The federal investigation has also been underway for some time, and the charges have seemed imminent for weeks. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Menendez and Melgen with one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the travel act, eight counts of bribery, and three counts of honest services fraud. Menendez was also hit with an extra count of making false statements.
Writing for Common Dreams earlier this week, CodePink's Medea Benjamin pointed out that though the criminal charges and prosecution of Sen. Menendez, who co-chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would be "unfortunate for his family, his career, and his reputation"--the downfall of the influential, yet hawkish lawmaker could actually be a boon to various peace and reconciliation efforts he has long opposed. According to Benjamin:
While Menendez is progressive on issues such as immigration reform and gay rights, he is a hawk on two key foreign policy issues: Iran and Cuba. As ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, his conservative influence is throwing a wrench in the Administration's negotiations with both nations. Bucking the positions of President Obama and most of his Democratic colleagues in Congress, Menendez has become "politically valuable" to the Republican party. In fact, more Republicans are outwardly criticizing the Justice Department for its investigation of Menendez than his own Democratic colleagues.
However the criminal proceedings develop, critics of Menendez like Benjamin won't likely lose any sleep over his being called to account for his alleged misdeeds.
Facing scrutiny and possible accountability "on ethics violation would be fitting for the senator," wrote Benjamin. "Menendez not only plays loose with favors for Dr. Melgen; he plays loose with issues of war and peace," she concluded. "The people of New Jersey, and the rest of the country, deserve better."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was indicted on multiple charges Wednesday related to accusations of corruption and misuse of power.
The allegations stem from a close relationship between Menendez and one of his longtime friends and political supporters, Dr. Salomon Melgen, who was also charged.
According to the Associated Press:
A defiant New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez declared that he's "not going anywhere" after he was charged with accepting nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors.
Menendez is expected to appear in federal court in Newark Thursday in response to charges that he used the power of his Senate seat to benefit Dr. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye doctor who prosecutors say provided the senator with luxury vacations, airline travel, golf trips and tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to a legal defense fund.
The indictment, which marks the latest development in a federal investigation that came into public view when federal authorities raided Melgen's medical offices in 2013, will almost certainly lead to a drawn-out legal fight between Menendez and a team of Justice Department prosecutors who have spent years investigating his ties to Melgen.
As The Atlantic explains in its in-depth review of the case:
[Menendez and Melgen] have been friends for years, and their relationship has been under media scrutiny for some time. The federal investigation has also been underway for some time, and the charges have seemed imminent for weeks. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Menendez and Melgen with one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the travel act, eight counts of bribery, and three counts of honest services fraud. Menendez was also hit with an extra count of making false statements.
Writing for Common Dreams earlier this week, CodePink's Medea Benjamin pointed out that though the criminal charges and prosecution of Sen. Menendez, who co-chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would be "unfortunate for his family, his career, and his reputation"--the downfall of the influential, yet hawkish lawmaker could actually be a boon to various peace and reconciliation efforts he has long opposed. According to Benjamin:
While Menendez is progressive on issues such as immigration reform and gay rights, he is a hawk on two key foreign policy issues: Iran and Cuba. As ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, his conservative influence is throwing a wrench in the Administration's negotiations with both nations. Bucking the positions of President Obama and most of his Democratic colleagues in Congress, Menendez has become "politically valuable" to the Republican party. In fact, more Republicans are outwardly criticizing the Justice Department for its investigation of Menendez than his own Democratic colleagues.
However the criminal proceedings develop, critics of Menendez like Benjamin won't likely lose any sleep over his being called to account for his alleged misdeeds.
Facing scrutiny and possible accountability "on ethics violation would be fitting for the senator," wrote Benjamin. "Menendez not only plays loose with favors for Dr. Melgen; he plays loose with issues of war and peace," she concluded. "The people of New Jersey, and the rest of the country, deserve better."
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was indicted on multiple charges Wednesday related to accusations of corruption and misuse of power.
The allegations stem from a close relationship between Menendez and one of his longtime friends and political supporters, Dr. Salomon Melgen, who was also charged.
According to the Associated Press:
A defiant New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez declared that he's "not going anywhere" after he was charged with accepting nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors.
Menendez is expected to appear in federal court in Newark Thursday in response to charges that he used the power of his Senate seat to benefit Dr. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye doctor who prosecutors say provided the senator with luxury vacations, airline travel, golf trips and tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to a legal defense fund.
The indictment, which marks the latest development in a federal investigation that came into public view when federal authorities raided Melgen's medical offices in 2013, will almost certainly lead to a drawn-out legal fight between Menendez and a team of Justice Department prosecutors who have spent years investigating his ties to Melgen.
As The Atlantic explains in its in-depth review of the case:
[Menendez and Melgen] have been friends for years, and their relationship has been under media scrutiny for some time. The federal investigation has also been underway for some time, and the charges have seemed imminent for weeks. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Menendez and Melgen with one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the travel act, eight counts of bribery, and three counts of honest services fraud. Menendez was also hit with an extra count of making false statements.
Writing for Common Dreams earlier this week, CodePink's Medea Benjamin pointed out that though the criminal charges and prosecution of Sen. Menendez, who co-chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would be "unfortunate for his family, his career, and his reputation"--the downfall of the influential, yet hawkish lawmaker could actually be a boon to various peace and reconciliation efforts he has long opposed. According to Benjamin:
While Menendez is progressive on issues such as immigration reform and gay rights, he is a hawk on two key foreign policy issues: Iran and Cuba. As ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, his conservative influence is throwing a wrench in the Administration's negotiations with both nations. Bucking the positions of President Obama and most of his Democratic colleagues in Congress, Menendez has become "politically valuable" to the Republican party. In fact, more Republicans are outwardly criticizing the Justice Department for its investigation of Menendez than his own Democratic colleagues.
However the criminal proceedings develop, critics of Menendez like Benjamin won't likely lose any sleep over his being called to account for his alleged misdeeds.
Facing scrutiny and possible accountability "on ethics violation would be fitting for the senator," wrote Benjamin. "Menendez not only plays loose with favors for Dr. Melgen; he plays loose with issues of war and peace," she concluded. "The people of New Jersey, and the rest of the country, deserve better."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.