Bob Menendez: New Jersey Democratic senator under federal investigation again

CNN
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Sen. Bob Menendez is facing a new federal investigation after a jury failed to reach a verdict in his 2017 trial for corruption, an adviser to the New Jersey Democrat said in a statement Wednesday.

“Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation,” Michael Soliman, an adviser to Menendez said in the statement. “As always, should any official inquiries be made, the Senator is available to provide any assistance that is requested of him or his office.”

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is conducting the investigation, a source told CNN. The scope of the investigation is unclear.

The digital news operation Semafor was first to report on the investigation and described it as broadly similar to the 2017 case, but involving a different set of people, citing two people familiar with the investigation.

The federal corruption trial of Menendez ended in a mistrial in November 2017 after the jury reported it was deadlocked.

Menendez faced charges of conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud related to allegedly abusing the power of his office that could carry decades in prison. Prosecutors said the senator accepted more than $600,000 in political contributions, a luxurious hotel suite at the Park Hyatt in Paris, and free rides on a private jet from a wealthy ophthalmologist, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in exchange for political favors.

Both men denied all of the charges.

Melgen was convicted on dozens of counts of health care fraud and sentenced to 17 years, but his sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump in 2021.