In a culture of corruption, Menendez least of our worries

When I first read the reports of Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D – NJ) indictment, I thought it was an April Fools' joke: “A Jersey politician charged with corruption,” classic! But when I realized that his 14 criminal counts were real, I still found the whole incident very humorous.

If you’ve ever watched “American Hustle” (2013), “The Sopranos,” (1999-2007), “Boardwalk Empire” (2010-2014) or ever talked with a friend from Bergen, Essex or Hudson County who “knows a guy,” it should come as no surprise that there is a culture of corruption ingrained in New Jersey’s public offices. So it shouldn’t be too shocking that this stereotype is further bolstered by Senator Robert Menendez’s indictment on April 1^st. And I’m not talking about the lame style of corruption that led Rep. Aaron Shock (R – IL) to resign last month for using taxpayer dollars to furnish his office with “Downton Abbey” (2010-) décor. I’m referring to the idea that still holds strong in New Jersey that “if you’ve got my back, I’ve got yours. But if you don’t, you better watch your back.” There’s a long history of New Jersey politicians using public funds for private utility or direct money laundering. This corruption relies on two tenets: favors and loyalty. Not necessarily partisan loyalty either, a much more personal loyalty like we saw from some select New Jersey State Democrats who held strong in Gov. Christie’s re-election campaign back in 2013. I don’t laugh at the idea of corruption but I have decided that instead of hanging my head in sorrow at the failures of our government that I would laugh instead. So whose failures am I laughing at? I highly doubt that Sen. Menendez’s corruption case will end in a guilty ruling, so today I laugh at the money thrown down the drain by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The joint IRS-FBI Operation Bid Rig has been an ongoing investigation into political corruption in New Jersey in 2002. Since the inception of the operation, more than 60 public officials from New Jersey and New York have been indicted. This stereotype and potential tip-off led the DOJ to look into New Jersey offices. However, it is still unclear what operation, individual or organization prompted the DOJ to conduct this personal investigation into Sen. Menendez’s affairs. And we should be skeptical of this DOJ investigation because it started with the allegation of Sen. Menendez soliciting prostitutes in the Dominican Republic. These claims were falsified this past summer when it was revealed that three women were paid to say that they slept with Sen. Menendez. Many members of the senator’s staff and colleagues agree with the conclusion that he has been the victim of this anonymous smear plot for three years now. My bet is that America’s champion Cuban senator and ardent adversary of the Cuban regime is being targeted with false allegations by the very regime we just re-established diplomatic relations with.

There is, however, another man in this story now and that is Miami ophthalmologist and long-time personal friend of Menendez, Salomon Melgen. The charges of corruption filed against Menendez stem from gifts he received from Mr. Melgen. The Government claims that in exchange for these gifts, Menendez secured a port contract in the Dominican Republic and added amendments favorable to Mr. Melgen’s practice in a Medicare bill. But they will find it very difficult to prove without a degree of doubt that these particular gifts were the direct impetus for Menedez’s select policy changes. These two have attended weddings and family events together for years. Perhaps they believe the timing of the gifts and the actions of Menendez in the Senate are somehow linked, but convenient timing is not a full-proof case against the senator.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 52 percent of New Jersey voters believe Sen. Menendez should resign. This is of course only two weeks after the DOJ issued its indictment, and the voters haven’t heard the senator’s side of the story yet. In addition, a majority of Democrats are standing by and supporting the senator’s innocence even if they believe he isn’t the most trustworthy guy in the world. If you go to his campaign webpage, you are redirected to istandwithbob.com, a website dedicated to the Menendez solidarity movement. The front of the page is listed with quotes of support from high-ranking New Jersey politicians and Democrats.

One thing the DOJ could be spending more time and money on is prosecuting their officials in the DEA. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said “The Department of Justice may not be taking adequate steps to prevent its own employees from buying sex and thereby contributing to the demand for the human sex trade” in reference to the recent discovery that DEA agents had “sex parties” with Colombian prostitutes financed by the drug cartel lords. A majority of these agents testified that they did indeed participate in these prostitution circles, so why is the DOJ going to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on a fight they might lose when they could enforce accountability much more directly?

I also find it ironic, however, that so much attention is centered on this personal instance of supposed corruption when we see corruption in the face of most of our representatives everyday. Menendez is being indicted for allegedly taking gifts from his friend to further his interests in legislation, yet the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United that we couldn’t call unlimited, publicly listed campaign contributions under the veil of ‘non-profit business’ or PACs corruption. President Obama comments that nothing “is more devastating to the public interest” than our representatives being bought out by special interests. Menendez isn’t shaken by special interests, and he makes his decisions based on his personal convictions and his duty to the country.

So don’t expect a resignation from Hart Senate Office Building 514. Robert Menendez is a fighter: He has fought for immigration reform, the security of the United States abroad and the victims of Superstorm Sandy, and battled his way into the political arena. The DOJ just picked a nasty one against this New Jersey senator.