Watchdogs pressuring Menendez

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill:

Government watchdog groups say Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) should recuse himself from congressional deliberations on Medicare billing and port security in the Dominican Republic.

These groups say Menendez should steer clear of these issues while the Senate Ethics Committee investigates whether he improperly helped a donor who took him on private plane trips to the Dominican Republic.

Senate Democratic leaders have kept their distance from Menendez since the controversy surrounding the New Jersey lawmaker has intensified. They have not had any private meetings with him to ask about the allegations swirling around his relationship with Florida eye surgeon Salomon Melgen, according to a Democratic aide.

Menendez last week told CNN that allegations he solicited women during trips to the Dominican Republican are “totally unsubstantiated” and “absolutely false.”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday that Menendez “has given us assurances that there is no substance to these charges,” but he was apparently referring to Menendez’s public statements.

Menendez is a leader on immigration reform, a top priority for President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress. It remains to be seen whether Menendez’s role in the discussions will be reduced as the allegations continue to attract headlines.

The New Jersey senator expects to have an ongoing role in the daily negotiations on immigration reform, according to a Democratic aide.

Menendez recently told Univision that he has not acted improperly.

“Nobody has bought me, No. 1. Never, in 20 years that I have been in Congress, never has this been suggested that this has been possible. Never in 40 years of public life,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has resisted a call from The New York Times editorial page to force Menendez to step down as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez took over the gavel after John Kerry left the Senate to become secretary of State.

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Maybe it's time for Bob to take a permanent flight out of town...