Politico wonders: Can Menendez survive — in New Jersey?

posted at 8:31 am on February 4, 2013 by Ed Morrissey

It’s a good question, but the wrong venue.  The question regarding Menendez isn’t political at the moment, at least not in terms of electoral process.  Menendez has a political problem and a legal problem, and the voters of New Jersey don’t factor into either one:

In a state with a colorful history, it takes a lot for a New Jersey politician to cross the line into political toxicity.

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez has found himself at the center of a growing controversy, with accusations swirling of a questionable friendship with a Florida eye surgeon being investigated for Medicare fraud, improper flights to the Dominican Republic and alleged patronizing of prostitutes — including underage girls — while in the Caribbean nation.

In some states, these allegations — and the fact the Senate Ethics Committee has joined federal investigators in looking into the explosive claims — would be enough to sink Menendez. But in New Jersey, that may not be enough to topple the Hudson County political boss, who runs the political machine for a part of Jersey known for being rough and tumble and who easily won reelection last year.

Menendez just won another six-year term in November, as these allegations began to break.  The FBI raid last week made it clear that there was at least some significant smoke coming from his relationship with big contributor Salomon Melgen, and not just about prostitutes in the Dominican Republic. The Miami Herald pointed out his interventions on behalf of one of Melgen’s businesses in the DR, and the rest of the national media followed suit.  That kicked off an inquiry, at least a preliminary one, for the Ethics Committee.  That’s where the political battle will take place, while the FBI probes Melgen for whatever reasons they have.

The raid also prompted Menendez to pay for two private-jet flights provided by Melgen in 2010 in an attempt to get past a violation of Senate disclosure rules.  That may have wiped out a significant part of Menendez’ cash, but he may need some more — soon.  Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle investigated the flight records of Melgen’s jet this year and asks whether Menendez hitched another ride to the DR last Easter:

After landing back in West Palm Beach at around 9:22 Eastern Daylight Time on the evening of April 6, 2012, it sat in its hangar for a day. Then, on the morning of April 8, 2012–Easter Sunday–at 8:56 a.m., the plane left Palm Beach International airport. At 11:30 a.m., it landed at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.

Teterboro is an airport meant for private jets and chartered flights, and is a 20-minute cab ride from Menendez’s New Jersey home. After landing at Teterboro at 11:30 a.m. EDT, the plane sat for about an hour and ten minutes–just enough time to wait for someone to reach the airport from about 20 minutes away. At 12:50 p.m., Melgen’s plane took off for Las Americas International Airport in the Dominican Republic.

Menendez’s public schedule–available on his Senate website–puts him in New Jersey the night before that flight, at an Easter Musical entitled God’s Masterpiece at Roselle Park Middle School in Roselle Park, New Jersey.

Menendez does not appear to have had any public events until several days later. The Senate was not in session from March 31 until April 15.

Why is this time frame important?

It is during this timeframe that two Dominican Republic prostitutes alleged, in interviews with this reporter who broke the story for The Daily Caller before joining Breitbart News after the election, that they were under-paid to have sex with Menendez. The activity allegedly took place at Casa de Campo, a luxurious resort in the Dominican Republic around Easter-time in 2012. Casa de Campo is about an hour’s drive from Las Americas airport.

It’s not clear whether any of this would have mattered to New Jersey voters.  As Politico’s Ginger Gibson and John Bresnahan note, they have a rather high tolerance for corruption in public officials.  However, the question is really just how hard the FBI wants to look for evidence of corruption, and just how much of it Senate Democrats will tolerate from Menendez.

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Q-poll shows Menendez cratering on approval in NJ


Damn that right wing conspiracy!!!!!

Baxter Greene on February 21, 2013 at 10:04 AM

The Working Girls Union (WGU) has thrown their full support behind Menendez.

darwin on February 21, 2013 at 10:04 AM

The Working Girls Union (WGU) has thrown their full support behind Menendez.

darwin on February 21, 2013 at 10:04 AM

uhhh…..I thought he was the one “working” behind them?????

Baxter Greene on February 21, 2013 at 10:05 AM

Even so, women in New Jersey still see him favorably, albeit weakly so at 40/32.

So the war on women meme doesnt apply when you have a D after your name? Who would have thunk. They really are 100% party ID, 0% principle..

hillsoftx on February 21, 2013 at 10:07 AM

The Working Girls Union (WGU) has thrown their full support behind Menendez.

darwin on February 21, 2013 at 10:04 AM

Even though he shipped jobs overseas?

Liam on February 21, 2013 at 10:07 AM

In New Jersey it’s hard to chose when your choices are guys like Menendez and Krillos and Rivera.

katiejane on February 21, 2013 at 10:08 AM

Q-poll shows Menendez cratering on approval in NJ

Oh please. Next you are going to try to suggest that anyone in New Jersey has morals or ethics.

SWalker on February 21, 2013 at 10:11 AM

Why should Menendez get out? Unless the GOP puts up Chris Christie, NJ will re-elect him in a walk. He could snort coke from the stairs of the capitol building with 3 underage sex slave hookers from Uganda, and the NJ Dem drones would still send him back to Washington.

DRayRaven on February 21, 2013 at 10:19 AM

No way could I live in New Jersey.

DanMan on February 21, 2013 at 10:20 AM

So the war on women meme doesnt apply when you have a D after your name? Who would have thunk. They really are 100% party ID, 0% principle..

hillsoftx on February 21, 2013 at 10:07 AM

Yep. Male disapproval is 11% higher than the women for a guy who allegedly exploited underage girls. It reminds me of the prosecution’s fundamental error in jury selection in the OJ case. Female jurors were not more inclined to sympathize with the female victim.

forest on February 21, 2013 at 10:21 AM

Q-poll shows Menendez
======================

Is that a brand-name of a Stripper Under-Age Pole,
jus say’n!!

canopfor on February 21, 2013 at 10:23 AM

Nothing will bedone about it. Democrats don’t resign.

COgirl on February 21, 2013 at 10:23 AM

And strangely enough,Menendez,will probably get votes,
that are higher,than what they should be,from various
polling stations down the road!

canopfor on February 21, 2013 at 10:25 AM

uhhh…..I thought he was the one “working” behind them?????

Baxter Greene on February 21, 2013 at 10:05 AM

Or above or below.

bw222 on February 21, 2013 at 10:30 AM

By the time anything comes of this Jessie Jr will be out, moving to NJ and throwing his hat in the ring.

docflash on February 21, 2013 at 10:30 AM

Oh please. Next you are going to try to suggest that anyone in New Jersey has morals or ethics.

SWalker on February 21, 2013 at 10:11 AM

Well, can’t say for the whole state, but I sure don’t. Democrats can run a polka dotted kangaroo, and if it has NJEA’s support, it will win by a double digit margin. Chris Christie is a unique exception, but we here have a soft spot for successful bullies.

Archivarix on February 21, 2013 at 10:31 AM

In New Jersey it’s hard to chose when your choices are guys like Menendez and Krillos and Rivera.

katiejane on February 21, 2013 at 10:08 AM

For me, the choice would be simple and come down to two options….

Mayflower or United Van Lines.

Happy Nomad on February 21, 2013 at 10:31 AM

No way could I live in New Jersey.

DanMan on February 21, 2013 at 10:20 AM

You have something against the Garden Garbage State?

bw222 on February 21, 2013 at 10:32 AM

Nothing will bedone about it. Democrats don’t resign.

COgirl on February 21, 2013 at 10:23 AM

True, you have to have morals and ethics before resigning in disgrace is even a possibility. The only morals or ethics that Democrats have are “The end Justifies the Means”.

From the Democrat Rule book on Morals and Ethic’s (Also known as Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals)

2. Of Means and Ends [Forget moral or ethical considerations]

“The end is what you want, the means is how you get it. Whenever we think about social change, the question of means and ends arises. The man of action views the issue of means and ends in pragmatic and strategic terms. He has no other problem; he thinks only of his actual resources and the possibilities of various choices of action. He asks of ends only whether they are achievable and worth the cost; of means, only whether they will work. … The real arena is corrupt and bloody.” p.24

“The means-and-ends moralists, constantly obsessed with the ethics of the means used by the Have-Nots against the Haves, should search themselves as to their real political position. In fact, they are passive — but real — allies of the Haves…. The most unethical of all means is the non-use of any means… The standards of judgment must be rooted in the whys and wherefores of life as it is lived, the world as it is, not our wished-for fantasy of the world as it should be….” pp.25-26

“The third rule of ethics of means and ends is that in war the end justifies almost any means….” p.29

“The seventh rule… is that generally success or failure is a mighty determinant of ethics….” p.34

“The tenth rule… is you do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral garments…. It involves sifting the multiple factors which combine in creating the circumstances at any given time… Who, and how many will support the action?… If weapons are needed, then are appropriate d weapons available? Availability of means determines whether you will be underground or above ground; whether you will move quickly or slowly…” p.36

SWalker on February 21, 2013 at 10:35 AM

In New Jersey it’s hard to chose when your choices are guys like Menendez and Krillos and Rivera.

katiejane on February 21, 2013 at 10:08 AM

Oh c’mon, Kyrillos isn’t that bad, just pathetic, and has about 25% name recognition inside the state. Heck, I have Tea Party Republicans in my town who never heard his name outside November 2012 ballot.

Archivarix on February 21, 2013 at 10:35 AM

Nothing will bedone about it. Democrats don’t resign.

COgirl on February 21, 2013 at 10:23 AM

Not entirely true. NJ lost a governor over preferential treatment he gave his boyfriend. NJ lost a Senator to fincancial misconduct. Neighboring NY lost a Congressman to his creepy hobby of sending pictures of his crotch to teen-aged girls. Jesse Jackson Junior resigned in the wake of his crimes.

But something as tame as protecting a key contributor, screwing teenagers in another country or hiring illegals to work in your Capitol Hill office? Menendez is golden. He’s got nearly six years before the idiots of NJ get another shot at putting a candidate with some integrity into the position. It is only an outside shot that he’ll be in prison before the next election. It took all of seven years to get William Jefferson behind bars and his crimes were clearer than those of Menendez.

Happy Nomad on February 21, 2013 at 10:40 AM

NJ thinks bob is not honest or trustworthy? How about a pedophile? Anybody in NJ OK with bob alone with their daughter?

StevC on February 21, 2013 at 10:47 AM

Bobby Redlight Menendez is over in Afghanistan as we speak on a congressional mission….why?

Wait for it….

He’s discussing corruption with Pres Hamid Karzai.

You can’t make this sh!t up. Fiction couldn’t be as interesting.

NJ Red on February 21, 2013 at 11:02 AM

He must be re-elected…think of the underage girls that would become unemployed.

trs on February 21, 2013 at 11:04 AM

Women approve 40 – 32 percent

Isn’t that always the case with women, clinging to an abusive man who promises to be a good sugar daddy?

Maybe Menendez would be a perfect candidate to carry on the War on Women meme. Dingbat Democrat women deserve nothing better.

MNHawk on February 21, 2013 at 11:28 AM

Won’t be long before Menendez gets the “Ft Marcy Park” talk from the democrat establishment like Torriceli did.

wildcat72 on February 21, 2013 at 12:33 PM

Menendez talking points “Hola nina! Quiere vd. un caramelito.?” “Hi little girl. Want some candy?”

Can’t a US Senator sexually molest 13-year old girls without having his privacy invaded by snoopy Republicans? Next, they’ll start complaining when we bugger 13 year old boys!!!

MaiDee on February 21, 2013 at 12:51 PM

The Captain Renault Award goes to… The State of New Jersey!

They are shocked (SHOCKED!!!) to find out that Bob Menendez is a crook!

Haiku Guy on February 21, 2013 at 1:34 PM

Time for another tax payer funded junket on a private jet to go bang some pre-teen foriegn hookers.

Good public relations work from the chair of the senate foreign relations committee.

acyl72 on February 21, 2013 at 1:39 PM

He’s discussing corruption with Pres Hamid Karzai.

NJ Red on February 21, 2013 at 11:02 AM

It’s called continuing education.

Barnestormer on February 21, 2013 at 2:10 PM

Rivera might do better to wait for Menendez to resign, and run in a special election.

Rivera would do better to run as a Democrat, it’s a much more comfortable fit for him.

RJL on February 21, 2013 at 4:45 PM

…it’s time for MendendezPhones!

KOOLAID2 on February 21, 2013 at 7:08 PM