Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is beneath investigation by the Division of Justice for high-priced gifts he allegedly received from a New Jersey enterprise.
The gifts consist of a luxury Washington, D.C., apartment, a Mercedes-Benz, cash, and jewelry, all valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, sources told NBC New York. The DOJ suspects that the gifts have been offered to Menendez by the Edgewater enterprise IS EG Halal, which was granted a contract with the Egyptian government regardless of complaints that the enterprise did not have the suitable practical experience. The New Jersey Democrat serves as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and oversees billions in help to the Egyptian government.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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“I am confident it is going to finish up in totally nothing at all,” Menendez mentioned of the allegations final week.
Even so, some suspect that the contract was granted by Menendez in a quid pro quo scheme. Damian Williams, U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of New York, AND FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation agents are functioning on the investigation.
None of the things seem on Menendez’s Senate disclosure types. A separate IRS criminal investigation is underway to establish if the gifts have been appropriately accounted for in tax filings.
IS EG Halal was awarded a halal meat certification contract with the Egyptian government in 2019 — seven corporations about the globe have been concurrently fired from the function. The Edgewater firm is run by a Christian and appeared to have no prior practical experience in Islamic halal certification, major to suspicion from numerous.
“It defies logic,” mentioned Peter Paradis, the former deputy assistant inspector basic at the Division of Agriculture. “This corporation has no track record of carrying out these varieties of certifications — and but the nation in query earmarks them as the sole entity to carry out that process?”
IS EG Halal claimed innocence, denying any wrongdoing.
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“Allegations about vehicles, apartments, money, and jewelry getting supplied by everyone connected with IS EG Halal to Sen. Menendez or his wife at all, let alone in exchange for any sort of favorable therapy, are completely devoid of basis,” mentioned Wael Hana, a spokesman for IS EG Halal.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Menendez for comment.
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