as news reports show that Menendez used a public hearing to advocate for a business tied to Salomon Melgen, a South Florida eye doctor now under federal investigation.
Meanwhile, new stories show that Menendez, a Democrat, prodded U.S. officials to help one of Melgen’s businesses, urging the Commerce department to intervene with officials in the Dominican Republic to help a Melgen business interest there, the New York Times and Miami Herald reported. Menendez urged the action in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee subcommittee hearing he chaired in July.
Melgen, a friend and significant donor to Menendez, had a stake in a firm that had a contract to X-ray cargo at Dominican ports, but had trouble getting the contract enforced, the papers wrote. The deal may have been worth $500 million, the Times wrote. Menendez aides told the papers that he frequently advocates for American business interests. Menendez has been chair of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee on the foreign relations committee, until taking over as head of the full committee earlier this week.
The new articles add to the ethics questions that also include Menendez’s long-delayed repayment of $58,500 for two trips on Melgen’s private plane in 2010. He did not report the trips or pay for them for more than two years, and then did so only after an ethics complaint was lodged
That apparent violation of Senate rules alone could be damaging, but the new stories hint at even deeper ties between Menendez and Melgen and questions about whether the Senator has tried to use his influence to help the doctor, a friend and donor.
While other issues have garnered more headlines, the ethics questions are the ones that are most documented and, as of now, the most substantiated.
Agents were seen carrying boxes from his Palm Beach, Florida, office Wednesday.
An FBI spokesman in Florida confirmed there was "law enforcement activity" at the location where the search occurred but did not mention Melgen or anyone else and did not explain what agents were investigating. In 2011, the Internal Revenue Service hit Melgen with an $11 million tax lien.