Sen. Robert Menendez indicted on corruption charges

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) was indicted on federal corruption charges Wednesday, accused of using the influence of his office to advance the business interests of a longtime friend and political supporter in exchange for luxury gifts, lavish vacations and more than $750,000 in campaign donations.​ Federal prosecutors laid out the charges in a 14-count indictment charging Menendez with using his office to help Salomon Melgen, a ­Florida-based eye doctor with whom Menendez had maintained a long personal and political friendship. Menendez intervened on Melgen’s behalf in at least two disputes, one with federal regulators over Medicare charges and the other involving a bid by Melgen to secure a ­port-security contract in the Dominican Republic, according to the indictment.

Sen. Robert Menendez indicted on corruption charges - The Washington Post

Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey was indicted on bribery charges on Wednesday in what prosecutors said was a scheme to trade political favors for luxury vacations, golf outings, campaign donations and expensive flights. The indictment, the first federal bribery charges against a sitting senator in a generation, puts Mr. Menendez’s political future in jeopardy. He faces a possible sentence of 15 years in prison for each of the eight bribery counts.

Senator Robert Menendez Indicted on Corruption Charges - NYTimes.com

Menendez said he started his career fighting corruption and received death threats after agreeing to testify for the prosecution, which he said forced him to wear a bulletproof vest for a month. He said that he was "angry" because the indictment "contradicts my public service career and my entire life." "I'm outraged that prosecutors at the Justice Department were tricked into starting this investigation three years ago with false allegations by those who have a political motive to silence me," Menendez told a cheering crowd. "But I will not be silenced. I'm confident at the end of the day that I will be vindicated and they will be exposed."

Sen. Bob Menendez Indicted On Public Corruption Charges