A Senate ethics panel that admonished Sen. Bob Menendez for taking gifts from a Florida eye surgeon closed the case after the New Jersey Democrat p🏅aid back their value.
The committee, which last April rebuked Menendez for his actions that “reflected discredit on the Senate,” notified the senator last week that it ended the inquiry.
Menendez received gifts from Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen that included a Paris vacation, flights on a private jet and vacations at Melgen’s villa in the Dominican Republic.
Menendez🍨 made g🍎ood on the gifts and updated his financial disclosure reports to reflect receiving the gifts.
“Having already received documentation that all impermissible gifts have been repaid, the committee hereby considers this matter closed,” Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the panel’s chairman, and ranking Democrat Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware said in the letter sent last Friday.
Menendez repaid Melgen $105,475 for flights going back as far back as 2006. He also reimbursed Melgen $6,068 for lodging and $875 for ♛car service, according to the disclosure reports.
“I’m pleased this issue is closed,” Menendez said in a statement.
The gifts led to federal corrupt💟ion♐ charges against the senator.
Menendez’s lawyers chalked up the gifts as tokens of their friend🎀ship that went back nearly 20 years and not part of a bribery scheme.
But prosecutors said the flights, vacations and campaign contributions were part of a tit-for-tat effort on Melgen’s part to repay Menendez for helping the doctor’s business interests, including a Medicare dispute.
A jury deadlocked on the charges after an 11-week federal c𓆏orruption trial in November 2017. Prosecutors decid🦩ed against a ಞretrial.
Menendez was elected to a third term last November after beating Republican Bob Hugin.
Melgen was convicted in a separate case of health care fraud, submitting false claims and falsifying patients’ records and is serving a 17-year prison sentence.
With Post wires