Sen. Bob Menendez ‘Severely Admonished’ by Senate Ethics Committee

The Senate Select Committee on Ethics “severely admonished” Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in a letter sent Thursday after his federal corruption trial in November 2017 failed to reach a verdict. The Ethics Committee determined that his “conduct violated Senate Rules, federal law, and applicable standards of conduct.” The letter also stipulated that Menendez “repay the fair market value of all impermissible gifts not already repaid.” Menendez faced a corruption trail last year after being accused of “repeatedly” accepting gifts and taking bribes from Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, according to The Washington Post. The newspaper also reported that Menendez is up for re-election this year and is “well positioned against a relatively unknown Republican challenger.”