Menendez: Prostitution accusation is politically motivated

Updated at 6:05 p.m ET

Following an FBI raid targeting one of his political donors, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., today released a statement asserting that his relationship with the donor is completely above-board and that allegations that he and the donor engaged with prostitutes are false.

FBI agents late Tuesday night raided a West Palm Beach, Fla., office belonging to Dr. Salomon Melgen, an eye doctor who has made large donations to Menendez, the New Jersey State Democratic Committee and other (mostly Democratic) politicians. He also gave more than $30,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2009, when Menendez was chairman.

Menendez's relationship with Melgen came under scrutiny last fall, when the right-leaning news website The Daily Caller interviewed two women from the Dominican Republic who claimed Menendez paid them for sex. The women claimed they engaged with Menendez at an expensive resort in which Melgen has a home.

In the statement today, Menendez's office denied the senator was engaged in any wrongdoing.

"Dr. Melgen has been a friend and political supporter of Senator Menendez for many years," the statement said. "Senator Menendez has traveled on Dr. Melgen's plane on three occasions, all of which have been paid for and reported appropriately. Any allegations of engaging with prostitutes are manufactured by a politically-motivated right-wing blog and are false."

Prostitution is legal in the Dominican Republic, and Menendez is divorced. However, reports surfaced this month that some of the prostitutes that Menendez engaged with may have been underage.

The FBI has not said why it was raiding Melgen's office Tuesday night, but according to the Miami Herald, which first reported the raid, records show that Melgen has an outstanding IRS lien of $11.1 million for taxes owed from 2006 to 2009. The Herald reports that the FBI hauled away potential evidence in several vans.

UPDATE: A spokesman for the Health and Human Services Department tells CBS News that HHS was involved in the raid of Melgen's offices and that the HHS Office of the Inspector General "assisted in the execution of the search warrant" at Melgen's office.

The HHS OIG is responsible for health care fraud cases (involving Medicare and Medicaid). HHS would not comment on the FBI's involvment, though it is not unheard of for the FBI to participate in these types of investigations.

[SokusTrokus]

So ... when a Democratic politician gets busted, it's politically motivated?
Really? How convenient. A Democrat is a sexy senior citizen. A Republican is a dirty old man. Typical double standard lame stream media bias.
Perhaps Menendez can be Obama's International Sex Czar.
You can't make this stuff up.

[truth2141]

wow had to search this deep on CBS for a story.

But no worry, he's a Democrat, it's OK

[excop1949]

It seems that he DOES know about "foreign relations"...

[We5t]

I wonder how many reporters CBS has working this story? My guess is zero. If it was a republican they would be all over it, but apparently a democrat having sex with brown kids during trips paid for by a tax dodging medicaid fraudster is not newsworthy.

Not mentioned is that Menendez "appropriately paid for" the plane flights only recently, 2 years after the fact, after the ethics complaint was filed. And it was $58,000 for 2 flights. I guess that isn't pertinent to CBS.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Salomen-Melgen-FBI-Doctor-Political-Donor-West-Palm-Beach-189017951.html

His spokesman called it an "oversight". Oh, ok, nothing to see here...

[panicazi]

As a military member, if I go to a foreign country and participate in activities legal to that country, but illegal in the US then I face charges based on the legality of that activity on US soil. Also, any participation by me that could possibly be construed as supporting human trafficking is prosecuted as though I myself was participating in human trafficking. Why would anyone argue that the same level of scrutiny and prosecution is not applicable to a sitting US Senator? Does a sitting US Senator not deserve the full application of US law? What would Hillary say about a US Senator's participation is an activity that clearly supports human trafficking?

[Aussies-Are-Jackasses]

"The Senator doth protest too much, methinks."
He's been busted and no is playing the politics card to try and escape having to resign. After Law Enforcements investigation proves he is guilty he will resign just like his fellow Democrat and pervert Rep. Anthony Weiner.
I don't know how fellow Democrat Rep. Bawney Fwank got away with running a male prostitution ring from inside his D.C. home but he should also have been force to resign.
Those North Eastern Democrats sure are sex fiends and perverts.
That's how their immoral liberal constituents like them.

[me1an1e]

who cares? His wife (assuming he's married)? His kids (assuming he has some)? fine.. outside of that why oh why are we going to spend time on this? Don't we have important stuff going on outside of a congressman's pants? *sigh*

[panicazi]

I care. Because Melanie, a sitting US Senator involved in human trafficking or related activities (prostitution is decidedly related per US and International law) would disqualify that US Senator per the rules of the Senate and US law.

[Type_Z]

Politically motivated?? Nice try but bull. You can not make this stuff up. Truth is stranger than fiction and this guy is a class A creep ( with Harry Reid running a close second on the creepy part ). Under age girls? Liberal hypocrite and PEDIPHILE. How dare liberals say they care about kids.

The Dr. friend owes $11 Million in federal taxes? Why isn't he in handcuffs? He's not paying is "fair share". Liberal lying cheat.

[Cosimo123]

None of this matters.. His cronies including Obama will get hom off the hook. Our country is being run Chicago style... LOL look what a mess Chicago is. We live in the US if you are a liberal you do whatever you wantm, write a book and make a ton of money. If you are a conservative.. you get nailed and thrown out to the street.

[Type_Z]

Yep, no truer words. We are a patient bunch aren't we? I imagine the boundary will hit at some point.