Saturday, March 21, 2015

NEW JERSEYANS: WE LIVE IN A STATE OF CORRUPTION. ROBERT MENENDEZ SOON TO BE INDICTED. DOJ EXPECTED TO CHARGE MENENDEZ WITH CORRUPTION





It's been less than two weeks since CNN first reported that the Justice Department will soon charge Sen. Robert Menendez with corruption.

The Justice Department is expected to bring criminal charges against Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., involving his relationship with wealthy donor Salomon Melgen and accusations that the senator improperly advocated for the business interests of the Florida eye doctor in return for gifts, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The charges are expected within the next few weeks, said the person who is not authorized to comment publicly. Menendez has previously denied wrongdoing.
Asked Friday whether he authorized corruption charges against the New Jersey senator, Attorney General Eric Holder said: "I can't comment on that." 

Menendez denied the allegations at a press conference Friday night in New Jersey.

After summarizing some highlights of his work on behalf of New Jersey and the country, he said, "I fight for these issues and for the people of our country every single day. That's who I am and I am not going anywhere.''

"Let me be very clear. Very clear," Menendez said. "I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law. 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 of this entire country."

In 2012, Melgen gave $700,000 to Democratic senators, including Menendez. Additionally, Menendez received free flights to the Dominican Republic in 2010.
Menendez has been accused of assisting Melgen in a dispute the Florida ophthalmologist was engaged in with health care officials in the U.S. regarding Medicare payments, as well as urging Dominican Republic authorities to make good on a contract with a port security company of Melgen's.


Tricia Enright, communications director for Menendez, said in a statement Friday:

"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. Any actions taken by Senator Menendez or his office have been to appropriately address public policy issues and not for any other reason."

Menendez was first appointed to the Senate in 2006 and was elected to a full term that same year. He was re-elected in 2012 and serves as the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.

If the Menendez seat becomes vacant, it would be up to Republican Gov. Chris Christie to pick a replacement, the second time he would be left with that choice.

New Jersey is one of 36 states where the governor makes an appointment to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, and the appointee serves until the next regularly scheduled, statewide general election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Past corruption cases against members of Congress include one involving the late Republican senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2008 on seven counts of failing to properly report gifts.

Stevens was convicted and lost his 2008 re-election bid, but a judge later dismissed the conviction after finding prosecutors had intentionally hidden evidence that could have helped Stevens.

Another senator, Democrat Robert Torricelli of New Jersey, left Congress in 2003, after finishing his first term, amid allegations he had improperly accepted gifts from a campaign contributor, businessman David Chang. Torricelli was under investigation by a grand jury and the Senate ethics committee.

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It’s good to be friends with Sen. Menendez: Give him gifts and campaign money, and he’ll use his position to take care of your business interests.

Sen. Menendez is reportedly under investigation for intervening with federal officials to help a close friend, Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, in disputes over Medicare billing and a Dominican port security contract.  Dr. Melgen, his family, and his company have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Sen. Menendez and committees supporting him.  Additionally, Sen. Menendez took two personal trips to the Dominican Republic aboard Dr. Melgen’s jet, while failing to disclose them as gifts.


  • Three-term U.S. Senator from New Jersey
  • Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee
  • Reportedly under federal investigation for using his position to benefit the business interests of a close friend and campaign donor
  • Under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee for failing to disclose private flights to the Dominican Republic as gifts
  • One of two members from New Jersey named in CREW’s Most Corrupt report 

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Jerseyans: We live in a state of corruption
Number of those who say trouble is widespread is higher than any time in recent memory 

Sunday, May 29, 2005
BY JEFF WHELAN
Star-Ledger Staff 

After a steady stream of scandals at all levels of New Jersey government, residents now believe political corruption is more widespread than any time in recent memory, according to a new Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll.
Fifty-eight percent of the adults surveyed statewide said there was "a lot" of political corruption in New Jersey, a 13 percentage point spike since August 2004, shortly before then-Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned in scandal. That's also a 24 percentage point jump from just a year and a half ago. 

Nine of 10 surveyed said there is at least "some" corruption in the state. McGreevey, a Democrat, received the largest share of blame, just ahead of locally elected officials. Eliminating "pay-to-play," the practice of awarding government contracts to campaign contributors, was identified as the most effective wayto clean up the system. 

The survey also found fewer than one in five residents believe state and local elected officials have highethical standards. 

"We're bordering on being not only a national disgrace, but an international disgrace. Every day someone else is being arrested," said Alfred Murasso, a retired banker who took part in the survey conducted earlier this month. He lives in Hazlet, where the mayor was recently arrested on bribery charges.
"Do something about it, for god sakes. We're tired of getting promises and no action. They keep talking about bucking the system, but they're not brave enough," he said. 

Jeffrey Levine, director of the poll, said the results show corruption is an "intense and pervasive concern" among residents, one that has also been expressed in recent focus group interviews. In an election year with the governor's office and the Assembly up for grabs, he said, voters will be watching closely to see how politicians address the issue. 

Democrats, who currently control the governor's office and both houses of the Legislature, put through some pay-to-play reforms in the past year but have resisted the Republican minority's calls to go farther. 

Independent voters, the critical voting bloc that swings elections in New Jersey, were most concerned about corruption, with 69 percent saying it was a big problem. 

"Even though it's not one of these pocketbook issues, like property taxes, education or health care, it's a fundamental one," Levine said. "It's a bad problem getting worse, and voters want a solution to it." 

A series of headline-making scandals, including a crackdown on public corruption by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie that has seen politicians being carted off in handcuffs, apparently is sinking in. About eight out of 10 of residents said they have heard some or a great deal about corruption among elected officials in New Jersey. 

PUBLIC DISGUST
The way poll participant Adele Berman sees it, politicians are just looking to enrich themselves and their friends. 

"It's pretty bad. I think it's on all levels. Anytime anybody's looking for a quick fix -- looking to get money in their pockets -- they can find it in the government," said Berman, a retired retail manager from Manchester. "Every time they vote on something it seems to go the way of the big companies that are backing the politicians and not the little people." 

She said she's also disgusted by reading about public officials who retire with lucrative pensions. 

"Here we are fighting for medical expenses and we're getting nothing. That sort of ticks me off," she said. 

Residents were most likely to lay blame for New Jersey corruption with McGreevey, whose friends, campaign contributors and appointees have been subject to a raft of investigations. While 22 percent tagged McGreevey, 20 percent blamed local and county officials, 11 percent lobbyists, 9 percent state lawmakers, 8 percent party leaders and 7 percent state contractors. Just 2 percent blamed acting Gov. Richard Codey. 

McGreevey resurfaced last month when he was forced to quit his job at a private law firm amid conflict of interest questions related to his work as governor. He had resigned as governor after it was revealed he appointed his gay lover as homeland security adviser despite questions about his qualifications and Israeli citizenship. 

"He's gay, I don't care. That's his business. But the dealings he had with other people, who he appointed, it was underhanded," said Berman. 

HELD IN LOW ESTEEM 

About one-third of those surveyed said local elected officials and state lawmakers have low or very low ethical standards, while 37 percent said the same of lawyers and auto insurers. One in four residents said the same of business executives. 

"Particularly post-Enron, business executives are pretty toxic. In New Jersey you've got elected officials still ranking below them," Levine said. 

Car salesman fared the worst, with 47 percent saying they have low or very low ethical standards. Newspaper reporters were in the middle of the pack with 27 percent. In contrast, 77 percent of residents said nurses have high or very high ethical standards, followed by teachers at 63 percent, according to the survey. 

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 

Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed said eliminating pay-to-play would be the most effective way to reducing public corruption. Nineteen percent said the state should create a citizen watchdog group, a proposal recently advanced in a report by Codey's special counsel on ethics. 

Electing an attorney general, electing an auditor general, limiting campaign contributions and establishing term limits each received the support of about 1 in 10 residents. Just 4 percent said eliminating dual office holding was the best way to solve the state's ills. 

The survey of 604 randomly selected New Jersey adults was conducted from May 16 to 20. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Results among a subgroup of 519 registered voters were virtually identically and differences were statistically insignificant.