NEW YORK (Audacy) — An adviser to New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez said Wednesday the senator is aware of a federal corruption investigation against him after Semafor broke the news of the probe earlier that day.
Menendez was indicted on conspiracy, bribery and fraud charges in 2015 after the Department of Justice accused him of accepting gifts from a Florida doctor in exchange for political favors.
The new investigation is reportedly seeking information for similar misconduct, though involving different people.
"Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation,” a spokesperson for Menendez’s office told NBC New York. “As always, should any official inquiries be made, the Senator is available to provide any assistance that is requested of him or his office.”
Menendez has spent his entire life in politics — starting as a school board member at only 20 years old and working his way up to the Senate, where he’s served since 2006.
His former corruption trial ended in a hung jury in 2017, and the federal government decided not to retry after a judge threw out some of the indictments.
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The Senate’s ethics committee admonished Menendez and ordered him to repay the gifts to Dr. Salomon Melgen.
“Your assistance to Dr. Melgen under these circumstances demonstrated poor judgment, and it risked undermining the public's confidence in the Senate,” wrote the committee in the official letter of admonishment. “As such, your actions reflected discredit upon the Senate.”
The corruption scandal did not stop New Jersey voters from re-electing Menendez in 2018.