Menendez's million-dollar defense
When news broke last month on the Department of Justice’s plans to indict Sen. Robert Menendez on criminal corruption charges, the New Jersey Democrat signaled he would fight.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
The test of Menendez’s will begins today, as a federal indictment charges the senator with 14 counts, including bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud.
It’s certain to add considerably to the already massive legal bills Menendez has racked up — and that political patrons are helping pay off. From early 2013 through the end of 2014, Menendez reported spending more than $1.2 million on legal fees, using a combination of cash from his campaign committee, political action committee and a legal defense fund, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal documents.
It was early in 2013 when Menendez’s relationship with Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, a friend and campaign donor, set off a series of investigations that led to today’s indictment.
New filings are due this month that will no doubt reflect additional large payments to Menendez’s legal team, which now includes prominent white collar defense lawyer Abbe Lowell of Chadbourne & Parke LLP.
Lowell has represented a long list of prominent politicians from both parties. They include former Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.; former Democratic senator and presidential candidate John Edwards; and another Democratic senator from New Jersey, former Sen. Robert Torricelli, who faced allegations of corruption. Menendez's committees reported paying Chadbourne more than $160,000 during the fourth quarter of 2014.
The bulk of Menendez’s legal fees have so far been paid to other firms, including Perkins Coie LLP, where Menendez is represented by Marc Elias, the chairman of the political law practice.
Menendez’s legal fund and political committees paid Perkins Coie more than $560,000 during 2013 and 2014.
Related: Menendez expenses
There’s more to this story. Click here to read the rest at the Center for Public Integrity.
This story is part of Primary Source. Primary Source keeps you up-to-date on developments in the post-Citizens United world of money in politics. Click here to read more stories in this blog.
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Copyright 2014 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
