The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to immediately take up a petition of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, claiming that corruption charges against him are pre-empted by the speech or debate clause of the Constitution. The court’s Monday order denying certiorari, clears the way for U.S. District Judge William Walls of the District of New Jersey to resume pretrial proceedings, which have been on hold since Menendez filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in November 2015.
Category: Senator Bob Menendez
The Latest: Man gets extension to seek deportation stay
Catalino Guerrero, center left, stands with U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, left, and Newark Archbishop Cardinal Joseph Tobin, center right, during a rally outside of the Peter Rodino Federal Building before attending an immigration hearing, Friday, March 10, 2017, in Newark, N.J. Guerrero, who arrived in the U.S. illegally in 1991, is facing deportation. Organizers claim he is an upstanding citizen and should not be deported.
GOP-run committee backs Trump’s pick for US envoy to Israel
A Republican-led Senate committee on Thursday narrowly approved the nomination of the combative lawyer selected by President Donald Trump to be ambassador to Israel, setting aside concerns that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such a critical diplomatic post. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted largely along party lines, 12-9, to recommend that the full Senate consider Friedman’s nomination.
Medicare fraud trial set for doctor tied to Menendez probe
Many of the Medicare fraud charges against prominent Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen are complicated, but one is simple – federal prosecutors say he claimed reimbursement for treating both eyes of patients who have one prosthetic. Melgen is scheduled to go on trial Monday in West Palm Beach, facing 76 counts charging him with stealing up to $190 million from Medicare between 2004 and 2013.
More patrols of possible bias sites
New Jersey law enforcement officials have increased patrols at houses of worship, community centers, and cemeteries in the wake of recent bias incidents, Gov. Christie’s office said Friday. “We live in a world where hostilities have become part of our everyday lives and are directed at what makes us as New Jerseyans and Americans so unique – our diversity,” Christie said in a statement.
US lawmakers call for action on Venezuela food corruption
Venezuelan officials may face U.S. sanctions for profiting from food shortages that have exacerbated hunger in the South American country. The calls by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle come in response to an Associated Press investigation that found trafficking in hard-to-find food has become big business in Venezuela, with the military at the heart of the graft.
Woman who sought kidney on Craigslist gets it from mother
A New Jersey woman who found a kidney donor on Craigslist in 2015 but later was told the organ transplant couldn’t happen because of complications has now received a kidney. Egg Harbor City resident Nina Saria, 34, said Tuesday she got a kidney last month from her mother, who lives in the Republic of Georgia.
Despite paper trail, Tillerson denies Exxon lobbied against sanctions
Critics of Rex Tillerson pounced on Wednesday when he categorically denied that ExxonMobil lobbied against sanctions placed on Russia or Iran. “I never lobbied against the sanctions.
Menendez raises concerns over secretary of state nominee
A New Jersey senator who sits on the panel that will hold confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of state is expressing concerns about the nominee’s “overall depth of understanding” of United States foreign policy. But Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez says he remains open to the nomination of Rex Tillerson and looks forward to hearing more from him during the upcoming Foreign Relations Committee hearings.