New Jersey's Sen. Robert Menendez Caught In Prostitute Scandal

New Jersey residents, who are reeling from the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, awoke to news this morning that their U.S. Senator Robert Menendez has been accused of using the services of prostitutes while vacationing at a wealthy donor's home at an exclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. According to the Daily Caller, Menendez paid two women for sex during a trip to the island nation over Easter weekend this year but then stiffed them, paying them only $100 after promising to pay them $500. The women told the Daily Caller they were brought to the Casa de Campo where Menendez campaign donor, Salomon Melgen, owns a home. Melgen is a wealthy Florida ophthalmologist who has contributed $14,700 to Menendez' campaign committee and who owns a private plane that Menendez has used in the past. The Daily Caller confirmed that records show the plane flew from Melgen's home in Florida to a private airport near Menendez' home in New Jersey and then traveled to a private airport in the the Dominican Republic near the resort where Melgen owned a home over the Easter weekend this year before returning to the U.S.

The two women who claim they were paid to have sex with Menendez told investigative reporter Matthew Doyle during a videotaped interview of the encounter after identifying a photograph of him as the man with whom they were paid to have sex during the Easter weekend, although they didn't know he was a senator until later. The women spoke through a translator with their attorney present. Their images were blurred for "fear of reprisal" in their native country. Menendez, who is divorced, is is running for re-election this year, but he has been a heavy favorite to win re-election in the heavily Democratic state. A Menendez spokeswoman declined to respond to the women's allegations, which she referred to as "a completely false accusation." I'm always leery of accusations of this sort when they surface so close to an election and there is little time to check out the story before voters go to the polls to cast their votes. I have serious doubts that this late-breaking story will have much impact on Menendez' race. Menendez called for the firing of Secret Service agents who were accused of patronizing prostitutes during President Obama's trip to Columbia earlier this year. "If the facts are true, they should all be fired," Menendez said. "The reality is is that the secret service not only protects the president of the United States, they represent the United States of America. They were on duty. If the facts are true as we are reading in the press, they shouldn't have a job."