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FEDERAL CORRUPTION CHARGES: SENATOR MENENDEZ ALLEGEDLY INTERVENED ILLEGALLY IN DOMINICAN PORT SECURITY DEAL AND $9 MILLION MEDICARE OVERBILLING CASE
The federal case against Menendez is expected to focus on two specific instances of intervention, in which the government would allege:
(1) Senator Menendez and his staff personally intervened in meetings with the former Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Marilyn Tavenner, and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to press the federal government to drop charges that Dr. Salomon Melgen had overbilled taxpayers for $9 million of medical services.
(2) Through his staff, Senator Menendez asked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service to drop plans to give the government of the Dominican Republic security scanning equipment for free that could be used at their ports of entry because such a donation would impede Dr. Melgen’s ability to pursue a legal case to enforce a controversial and lucrative, though still not yet implemented, contract a company under his control obtained with the government of the Dominican Republic more than a decade ago to be the sole provider of such equipment.
Prominent pro-Israel senator may be charged with corruption
A top pro-Israel Democrat in the US Senate, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), may be charged with corruption following allegations he used his office to advance the business interests of a Democratic donor in exchange for gifts. Menendez defiantly said Friday he has always been honest in office even as a person familiar with the matter said he’s expected to face criminal charges soon.
“Let me be very clear, I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law,” Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said at a press conference in his home state. “Every action that I and my office have taken for the last 23 years that I have been privileged to be in the United States Congress has been based on pursuing the best policies for the people of New Jersey and this entire country.” snip As one of the top Democratic critics of the Obama administration’s pursuit of negotiations with Tehran, Menendez has faced off personally against the president in Democratic forums. Menendez is a co-sponsor of a bill that would give Congress a chance to review and vote on any deal the US signs with Iran over its nuclear program as well as of the embattled Nuclear Free Iran Act of 2015.
The former bill would require President Barack Obama to submit any agreement reached with Tehran to Congress within five days. In addition to the text of the agreement, the bill would require the White House to submit information about Iran’s compliance and a certification that the agreement meets US non-proliferation goals and does not jeopardize US national security, including not allowing Iran to pursue nuclear-related military activities. Moreover, it would prohibit the president from suspending, waiving or easing any congressional sanctions being levied on Iran for 60 days.
Obama has threatened to veto the measure, as well as the Nuclear Free Iran Act, which would threaten Iran with additional sanctions should talks fail to generate a comprehensive nuclear agreement.
Earlier this week, however, Menendez was greeted with ringing applause by some 16,000 attendees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference. There, his tough stance on Iran only added to his cachet when he reiterated his strong support for Israel.
“When it comes to defending the US-Israel relationship, I am not intimidated by anyone—not Israel’s political enemies, and not by my political friends when I believe they’re wrong,” Menendez said triumphantly before a crowd that applauded enthusiastically throughout his address.
******* Daniel Greenfield, January 29, 2015, The Imaginary Islamic Radical
"Our problem is not the Islamic radical, but the inherent radicalism of Islam. Islam is a radical religion. It radicalizes those who follow it. Every atrocity we associate with Islamic radicals is already in Islam. The Koran is not the solution to Islamic radicalism, it is the cause."
These accusations have been floating around for quite some time but nothing was done about them until Menendez became, "...one of the top Democratic critics of the Obama administration’s pursuit of negotiations with Tehran..."
Do not cross our thin skinned Emperor.
Allahu Akbar" is Arabic for "Nothing to see here"~~Mark Steyn explaining the reaction of Obama, Hollande, et. al., to Muslim terror attacks.
Yes, the regime delights when anyone (including prominent party members such as Menendez) walks across the lines of propriety, decency, laws. The more corrupt an individual is, the easier it is to manipulate and control them. I am quite certain that all of the evidence against the Senator was carefully collected and cataloged for just a day like Friday. He was probably warned about his 'out of school' comments on Cuba & Iran..... but when he had the temerity to proudly escort "the Jew" into the chambers (and let everyone know how he felt about it!!), that was probably the line too far.....
Depending on how 'useful' they view him to be in future, he may escape with his seat intact.... this time.... because he will be all the more amenable to 'suggestion' going forward, and taking him to the brink will have a chilling effect felt far beyond this one man's career (and even freedom...)..... we shall see.....