Committee records
Read the committee’s public announcements and letters, follow dated procedural steps, and open the original documents.
A review, an allegation, a finding and a closure are different outcomes. Read the committee’s stated reason; the absence of a publication does not establish an absence of concerns.
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Publications naming Robert Menendez
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The committee publicly admonished Menendez concerning gifts from Salomon Melgen and addressed repayment and disclosure. This is a separate matter from the 2023–2024 investigation.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
JOHNNY ISAKSON, !';EORGIA. CHAIRMAN CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, DELAWARE, VICE CHAIRMAN PAT ROBERTS, KANSAS BRIAN SCHATZ, HAWAII JAMES E. RISCH, IDAHO JEANNE SHAHEEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBORAH SUE MAYEA, CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR EMIL V GERSHON, CHIEF CLERK Wniteb ~tate~ ~enate The Honorable Robert Menendez United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Menendez: SELECT COMMITIEE ON ETHICS April 26, 2018 Public Letter of Admonition HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, ROOM 220 SECOND AND CONSTITUTION AVENUE. NE WASHINGTON. DC 2051()..6425 TELEPHONE: (202) 224- 2981 FACSIMILE: (202)224--7416 TOO (202) 228-3752 Pursuant to its authority under Senate Resolution 338, the Select Committee on Ethics (the Committee) has conducted an inquiry into allegations related to your interactions with Dr. Salomon Melgen. The Committee has found that over a six-year period you knowingly and repeatedly accepted gifts of significant value from Dr. Melgen without obtaining required Committee approval, and that you failed to publicly disclose certain gifts as required by Senate Rule and federal law. Additionally, while accepting these gifts, you used your position as a Member of the Senate to advance Dr. Melgen's personal and business interests. The Committee has determined that this conduct violated Senate Rules, federal law, and applicable standards of conduct. Accordingly, the Committee issues you this Public Letter of Admonition, and also directs you to repay the fair market value of all impermissible gifts not already repaid. The Committee began its review of this matter in late 2012, and, consistent with its precedent, deferred its inquiry while the U.S. Department of Justice pursued a criminal investigation into your conduct. At the conclusion of your trial in November 2017, the Committee resumed its process. Over the comse of its review, the Committee developed a comprehensive factual record to determine whether your conduct violated any rule, law, or standard of conduct within the Committee's jurisdiction. The Committee reviewed your written submissions, your financial disclosure filings, and other publicly available information. In addition, the Committee obtained and reviewed information from the Department of Justice's criminal investigation and prosecution, which spanned more than five years and culminated in an 11-week trial against you and Dr. Melgen. Specifically, the Committee reviewed 257 exhibits and the trial testimony of 57 witnesses. The Committee notes that the trial record includes not only the evidence presented against you, but also your robust defense. At trial, through your attorney, you questioned the credibility of the evidence against you, raised mitigating facts and theories~ and introduced evidence regarding the motivation for your actions. As in past matters, the Committee found that the criminal proceeding provided a wealth of credible and reliable information, which the Committee did not need to independently duplicate. Based upon the totality of the evidence, the Committee has concluded as follows: I. From 2006 through 2013, you accepted numerous things of value from Dr. Melgen, including, but not limited to, travel on private and commercial flights, a luxury hotel stay in Paris, and lodging on 19 occasions at a Dominican Republic villa. You did not pay fair market value for, or, where required, obtain necessary written approval from the Committee to accept these gifts. 2. Over the course of several years, you failed to list gifts you had accepted from Dr. Melgen on your public Financial Disclosure Reports, as you were legally required to do. 3. During the same time period in which you accepted these gifts, you used your position as a Member of the Senate to advance Dr. Melgen's personal and business interests. At Dr. Melgen's request, you: a. Intervened in a matter where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that Dr. Melgen had overbilled Medicare by more than $8.9 million. This intervention included persistent advocacy before multiple senior CMS officials over the course of three years, reaching, at its height, your meeting with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. b. Advocated before federal agencies on behalf of ICSSI, a port security services company owned by Dr. Melgen. This advocacy included an in-person meeting with a senior official in which you requested that the U.S. Department of State intervene in a contract dispute between ICSSI and the Dominican Republic. During this meeting, you threatened to hold a public hearing and to call the official to testify if the State Department failed to resolve the matter. You also acted to protect ICSSI's contract to provide scanning services in the Dominican Republic by requesting that U.S. Customs and Border Protection delay its planned donation of screening equipment. c. Assisted foreign nationals obtain visas to visit Dr. Melgen in the United States, including, in one case, appealing directly to a U.S. ambassador to seek reconsideration of a visa denial. Notably, you have not disputed the fact that you accepted numerous gifts from Dr. Melgen and took official actions related to his interests. Standing alone, your acceptance of and failure to disclose gifts violated Senate Rule 35 (Gifts), Senate Rule 34 (Public Financial Disclosure), and the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended. Your repeated acceptance of private plane flights from Dr. Melgen is particularly troubling given that it coincided with the passage and implementation of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of2007, a law passed in response to an ethics scandal and aimed, at least in part, at severely curtailing public officials' acceptance of free travel on private planes. This law was passed shortly after you joined the Senate, with your vote. Further, your decision to accept and your failure to disclose 2 numerous gifts while simultaneously using your Senate office in furtherance of Dr. Melgen's interests created, at a minimum, the appearance of impropriety. A Senator should be "ever conscious that public office is a public trust." Code of Ethics for Government Service~ I 0. A Senator is expected to place "loyalty to the highest moral principles and to country" above loyalty to others. !d.~ I. A Senator should "[n]ever discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not; and never accept for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be constmed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his governmental duties." !d. ~ 5. A Senator is also expected to exercise discretion in accepting gifts, and be "particularly sensitive" not only to the frequency and value of gifts, but also to the "possible motives of the donor." Senate Ethics Manual (2003 ed.) at 21-22. You demonstrated disregard for these standards by placing your Senate office in Dr. Melgen's service at the same time you repeatedly accepted gifts of significant value from him. Your assistance to Dr. Melgen under these circumstances demonstrated poor judgment, and it risked undermining the public's confidence in the Senate. As such, your actions reflected discredit upon the Senate. In determining the appropriate conclusion to this matter, the Committee considered several factors. First, the Committee reviewed evidence that suggested your actions on behalf of Dr. Melgen were consistent with your long-held policy beliefs related to effective Medicare policies and post-9/11 port security. These are worthy causes. However, the fact that a cause is worthy does not negate the duty to ensure compliance with ethical standards. Second, the Committee understands that you are committed to assisting constituents. Indeed, the Committee has long recognized that "[r]esponding to inquiries of petitioners and assisting them before executive or independent government officials and agencies" is an "appropriate exercise of the representational function of each Member of Congress, as well as an important function of congressional oversight." Senate Ethics Manual at 177. Your assistance to Dr. Melgen, however, went well beyond Senate norms. You took action, over the course of several years, on behalf of one specific individual who repeatedly gave you many valuable gifts and who was also among your closest friends, which included direct contact with officials at the highest levels of government. Third, the Committee is aware that you have described Dr. Melgen as your closest friend and "brother," but this makes your assistance to him no less troubling. Your Senate office and its attendant resources and power are not personal to you. Senators must closely guard against even the appearance that their families or friends are entitled to use these resources and power for their own personal gain. Fourth, the Committee acknowledges that you have repaid some ofthe gifts Dr. Melgen provided. The Committee, however, has determined that such repayment does not erase the violation, given both the lapse of time between acceptance and repayment, and the circumstances that prompted your repayment. 3 Finally, the Committee considered the fact that your criminal trial did not result in a conviction. The criminal system, however, neither enforces nor supplants the Senate's rules or standards of conduct, and the Committee's action stands independent from that result. For the reasons set forth above, the Committee concludes that your actions violated Senate Rules and related statutes, and reflected discredit upon the Senate. Accordingly, you must repay the fair market value of all impermissible gifts not already repaid, and amend your Financial Disclosure Repmts to include all reportable gifts. Finally, by this letter, you are hereby severely admonished. Sincerely, 4 Christopher A. Coons Vice Chairman ~f.IC~ Brian Schatz, Member . ~ Jeanne Shaheen, Member
Senator Robert Menendez - Public Letter of Admonition
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
JOHNNY ISAKSON, GEORGIA. CHAIRMAN CHRISTOPHER A. COONS. DELAWARE. VICE CHAIRMAN PAT ROBERTS, KANSAS BRIAN SCHATZ. HAWAII JAMES E. RISCH, IDAHO JEANNE SHAHEEN. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBORAH SUE MAYER. CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR EMILY GERSHON, CHIEF CLERK For Immediate Release December 1, 20 17 ~ntteb ~tates ~enate SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING. ROOM 220 SECOND AND CONSTllUTlON AVENUE. NE WASHINGTON. DC 20511)-6425 TELEPHONE: (2021 224-2981 FACSIMILE: (202)224-7416 TOO: 12021228-3752 Contact: Deborah Sue Mayer (202) 224-2981 STATEMENT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETlllCS Washington, DC-U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Vice Chairman Christopher A. Coons (D-DE) today issued the following statement: "Today the Committee sent the attached letter seeking information from the Office of Compliance." No other public statement will be made except in accordance with Committee Rules. ### JOHNNY ISAKSON. GEORGIA, CHAIRMAN CHRISTOPHER A. COONS. DELAWARE, VICE CHAIRMAN PAT ROBERTS, KANSAS BRIAN SCHATZ, HAWAII JAMES E. RISCH, IDAHO JEANNE SHAHEEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBORAH SUE MAYER. CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR EMILY GERSHON, CHIEF CLERK ~ntteb ~tate~ ~enate SELECT COM MITTEE ON ETH ICS December I , 2017 Susan Tsui Grundmann, Executive Director Office of Compliance John Adams Building, Room LA 200 II 0 2"d Street, SE Washington DC 20540 Dear Ms. Grundmann: HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, ROOM 220 SECOND AND CONSTTTUTION AVENUE, NE WASHINGTON, DC 2051~25 TELEPHONE: 1202122.,._2981 FACSIMILE: 1202122.,._7416 TOO 12021228-3752 As you know, sexual harassment and employment discrimination are prohibited in the Senate, both by statute and by the Senate's Code of Official Conduct. 1 The Congressional Accountability Act of I995 (CAA) prohibits harassment and discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability.2 The law also prohibits actions that have a "disparate impact" on an employee on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or religion, despite appearing neutral in practice. 3 In addition to federal law, Senate Rules have long prohibited discriminatory conduct in employment. Senate Rule 42 states: No Member, officer, or employee of the Senate shall, with respect to employment by the Senate or any office thereof- (a) fail or refuse to hire an individual; (b) discharge an individual; or (c) otherwise discriminate against an individual with respect to promotion, compensation, or terms, conditions, or privileges of employment on the basis of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or state of physical handicap. 4 1 The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 is codified as 2 U.S.C. §§ 130 I et seq.; the Code of Official Conduct is codified as Senate Rules 34 through 43 of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 2 Office of Compliance, "Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited," available at https://www.compliance.gov/act/under-caa/harassment-and-discrimination-prohibited. 4 Senate Rule 42.1. Section 2(a)( 1) of Senate Resolution 338 authorizes the Select Committee on Ethics (the Committee) to: receive complaints and investigate allegations of improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate, violations of law, violations of the Senate Code of Official Conduct and violations of rules and regulations of the Senate, relating to the conduct of individuals in the performance of their duties as Members of the Senate, or as officers or employees of the Senate . ... " 5 The CAA recognizes this jurisdiction and the Committee's authority by stating that the Senate and House Ethics Committees "retain full power, in accordance with the authority provided to them by the Senate and the House, with respect to the discipline of Members, officers, and employees for violating rules of the Senate and the House on nondiscrimination in employment."6 The CAA also expressly provides that the Office of Compliance may provide the Senate and House Ethics Committees with access to records of its hearings and decisions. 7 In order to effectuate its constitutional and statutory authority with respect to Senate Rules, we request that you promptly provide the Committee with all records in the possession of the Office of Compliance related to any claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or any other employment practice prohibited by the CAA involving alleged conduct by any current Member, officer, or employee of the Senate. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the Committee's Staff Director and Chief Counsel, Deborah Sue Mayer at (202) 224- 2981. Sincerely, Christopher A. Coons Vice Chairman 5 S. Res. 338, 88th Cong., 2d. Sess. ( 1964), as amended by S. Res. II 0 ( 1977). 6 2 U.S.C. § 1433. 7 2 U.S.C. § 14 16(e). 2
Public Statement and Letter to Office of Compliance Requesting Information
Publications naming Al Franken
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The committee opened a preliminary inquiry. An inquiry is not a finding of a violation.
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JOHNNY ISAKSON. GEORGIA, CHAIRMAN CHRISTOPHER A. COONS. DELAWARE. VICE CHAIRMAN PAT ROBERTS. KANSAS BRIAN SCHATZ, HAWAII JAMES E RISCH, IDAHO JEANNE SHAHEEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBORAH SUE MAYER. CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR EMILY GERSHON. CHIEF CLERK For Immediate Release November 30, 2017 'mlniteb ~tate~ ~enate SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, ROOM 220 SECOND AND CONSTITUTION AVONUE, NE WASHINGTON. DC 20510-6425 TELEPHONE: 12021224-2981 FACSIMILE: 12021224-7416 TOO: 12021228-3752 Contact: Deborah Sue Mayer (202) 224-2981 STATEMENT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS REGARDING THE MATTER OF SENATOR AL FRANKEN Washington, DC-U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Vice Chairman Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), and Committee Members Pat Roberts (R-KS), James E. Risch (R-ID), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today issued the following statement: "The Committee is aware of the recent allegations against Senator AI Franken, as well as the calls for an ethics investigation. While the Committee does not generally comment on pending matters or matters that may come before it, in this instance, the Committee is publicly confirming that it has opened a preliminary inquiry into Senator Franken's alleged misconduct." No other public statement will be made regarding the matter except in accordance with Committee Rules. ###
Statement of the Select Committee on Ethics Regarding the Matter of Senator Al Franken
Publications naming Robert Menendez
Official document text is available via an indexed copy. The original PDF is unavailable in this collection.
The committee announced resumption of its earlier inquiry. This matter is separate from the 2023–2024 investigation.
The indexed copy is marked complete. The original PDF bytes are unavailable.
JOHNNY ISAKSON, GEORGIA. CHAIRMAN CHRISTOPHER A. COONS. DELAWARE. VICE CHAIRMAN PAT ROBERTS, KANSAS JAMES E. RISCH. IDAHO BRIAN SCHATZ. HAWAII JEANNE SHAHEEN. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEBORAH SUE MAYER, CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR EMILY GERSHON. CHIEF CLERK HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, ROOM 220 SECOND AND CONSTITUTION AVENUE. NE WASHINGTON. DC 205I0-642S TELEPHONE: (202) 224-2961 FACSIMILE: (202) 224-7416 TDD: (202) 226-3762 ®niteb States Senate SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS For Immediate Release November 16, 2017 Contact: Deborah Sue Mayer (202) 224-2981 STATEMENT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS REGARDING THE MATTER OF SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ Washington, DC—^U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Vice Chairman Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), and Committee Members Pat Roberts (R-KS), James E. Risch (R-ID), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today issued the following statement: "In 2012, the Committee initiated a preliminary inquiry into alleged misconduct by Senator Robert Menendez. In early 2013, consistent with its precedent and in consideration of the Department of Justice's criminal investigation, the Committee deferred its inquiry. At this time, the Committee intends to resume its process." No other public statement will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee Rules. j/ // It WWW
Statement of the Select Committee on Ethics Regarding the Matter of Senator Robert Menendez
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Boxer, Isakson Announce Deborah Mayer As New Ethics Committee Staff Director And Chief Counsel
Committee-wide activity report. Its counts are not individual case findings or outcomes.
The publication is listed by the committee, but its source content is unavailable in this collection.
Committee-wide activity report. No individual case outcome is inferred from aggregate statistics.
The committee’s public catalogs determine this collection. Publication counts are not counts of allegations, people or cases.
Catalog publications span Jul 30, 2002 through Aug 21, 2024.