Posted on 02/02/2013 9:19:24 AM PST by randita
Congressman speculates Cuba may be behind Menendez scandal
By Matt Friedman/The Star-Ledger
on February 01, 2013 at 7:35 PM, updated February 02, 2013 at 2:34 AM
TRENTON — U.S. Rep. Albio Sires today defended Sen. Robert Menendez and presented an unusual theory why the senator finds himself battling lurid accusations.
"I won't even be surprised if somehow the Cuban government is involved in this to try to damage Bob Menendez because he's been so steadfast against the Castro government. He's been a critic all his political life," Sires said in a phone interview. "I would not be surprised if they are behind some of this stuff, some of these allegations. The Dominican Republic has a lot of relationships with Cuba."
Sires, who like Menendez (D-N.J). is Cuban-American, succeeded him in the House when Menendez was elevated to the Senate.
Menendez has denied anonymous allegations that he had trysts with prostitutes, some of them underage, at a Dominican Republic condo owned by wealthy eye doctor and campaign donor Salomon Melgen. But Menendez’s office has said the senator reimbursed Melgen $58,500 for two round trip flights on his private jet on January 4 of this year—more than two years after the trips, and without disclosing them.
In a statement issued after the phone interview, Sires defended Menendez but left out the alleged Cuban connection.
"These attacks on the Senator were first delivered before the Senators re-election this past November. I believe the attacks were an attempt to block the Senator from becoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This is a very powerful post in Washington," he said.
Star-Ledger staff writer Christopher Baxter in Washington contributed to this report.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
It’s like a scene from an MST-3000 movie.
Menendezs’ political persuasion is meaningless to the Cubans. The fact Menendez is a success in the USA makes him their enemy.
Not to worry, a bunch of freepers tell me things would be sooooo much better if we abolished elections and all states could appoint "statesmen" to serve in the Senate like NJ did with Menendez.
Really? In the last election, a large majority of them (60%) voted for Obama. If that's "Republican", I'd hate to see their idea of Democrat.
Now about this all states could appoint "statesmen" to serve in the Senate like NJ did with Menendez.
The way the COTUS was originally written, Senators were not "appointed." They were to be elected by the various state legislatures. It is my belief that the amendment allowing popular election of Senators is written in such a manner that it actually gives the individual states the option of popular election, or election by the state legislature. Strong constitutionalist governors and state legislatures might do very well to re-assert their rights.
I think this important because it stripped a key power from the sovereign states; a power that they need to combat rampant federalism. It would also lessen out-of-state influence in the form of PAC contributions used to harm Senate candidates.
As you schooled me in the perfidy of the Cubans, I might add that the demographics are not working out for Federal elections winnable by those who tend to honor the Constitution. So, state sovereignty becomes ever more important for the cause.
OTOH, when an already sitting Senator needs to be replaced, and a RAT holds down the Governorship of a state, most states allow the direct replacement with the Senator of the RAT Governor's choice. We're screwed. Sorry.
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