Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) office denied on Friday afternoon that he’d been involved in any crimes or wrongdoing in relation to a longtime friend and donor.
The denial followed a report from CNN, citing anonymous sources, that said federal prosecutors plan to file corruption charges against Menendez in the coming weeks.
The charges reportedly will center on Menendez’s dealings with Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen.
The full statement from Menendez Communications Director Tricia Enright is below:
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.
The Senator has counted Dr. Melgen as one of his closest personal friends for decades. The two have spent holidays together and have gone to each other’s family funerals and weddings and have exchanged personal gifts. As has been reported, the start of this investigation is suspect. We know many false allegations have been made about this matter, allegations that were ultimately publicly discredited. We also know that the official investigation of this matter is ongoing, and therefore cannot address allegations being made anonymously.
