Menendez has fervently denied the allegations, and the Justice Department wasn’t publicly investigating the case at that time. He last week repaid the company of the Florida eye surgeon, Salomon Melgen, $58,500 to cover the cost of two 2010 flights that the senator now acknowledges were personal jaunts to the Dominican Republic.
– At least one of the women allegedly involved in the prostitution scandal swirling around Sen. Bob Menendez denies the whole thing, Politico reports. Yaneisi Fernandez was allegedly hired by Dr. Salomon Melgen, who has ties to Menendez, but she says she's never participated in prostitution and she's never seen Menendez in person or on TV, according to Univision. Menendez and Melgen have been accused of patronizing prostitutes, some underage, in the Dominican Republic. Despite the fact that the controversy continues to grow, Politico reports that Menendez could weather the storm. First of all, it takes a lot to sink a New Jersey politician, the site points out, particularly in Menendez's neck of the woods. Plus, he was easily re-elected last year. "I think Bob Menendez is a very tenacious person, and he has the advantage of six long years and a fairly forgiving political environment in New Jersey," a former senator says. "I wouldn’t be wasting time on a Bob Menendez political obituary."