Escort claims Senator Menendez paid her for sex

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Published time: February 25, 2013 17:00
Edited time: February 26, 2013 01:20

An American prostitute has revealed that Sen. Bob Menendez paid her for sex, claiming that the lawmaker continues to "see a lot of girls" along the East Coast.

The new details shed further light on the actions of the US senator, who traveled extensively to the Dominican Republic, where he allegedly attended “sex parties” and may have slept with minors on numerous occasions for many years. If the American prostitute is telling the truth, the senator has also hired prostitutes in the US – where the practice is highly illegal.

In an interview with the Daily Caller, the professional escort, who is in her 30’s, claims that Menendez continues to "see a lot of girls" and "doesn’t seem to have the skills to have a relationship." The escort said she travels all along the East Coast to provide sexual favors to clients, including numerous US senators and politicians who work in Washington, DC, like Menendez.

“They’re all attorneys, lobbyists, of some sort,” she told TheDC, adding that many of them are also senators.

But the New Jersey Democrat may not be a typical client: the escort described him as a ‘hobbyist’ – a client who engages in sex with “many girls, as many as they can”.

To cover up his illegal affairs with his escorts, the prostitute says Menendez used a pseudonym when arranging for her services. This practice is common among politicians who fear having details about their relations leaked to the public, the escort said. But when TheDC showed the woman a photo of the senator, she immediately recognized him as her former client – a client who was well-known among the most “expensive” escorts and has paid for their services since at least 2008.

The escort initially contacted TheDC after reading a story about the Dominican prostitute who discussed Menendez’s sexual escapades in her country. She said she was horrified by the senator’s alleged involvement with girls, some of which were thought to be under the age of 18 at the time of the sexual encounter.

“There’s so many brothels in the Dominican Republic,” the American escort said. “Women are nothing. They’re treated like trash there, at any age. They have no meaning, no reason for being.”

Since November, Menendez has come under increased scrutiny about his alleged solicitation of prostitutes – specially those who may have been underage. The senator has heavily condemned the Cuban government for creating economic conditions that led to widespread prostitution, only to have allegedly engaged in the practice himself.

Additionally, the senator has been suspected of accepting free trips to the Dominican Republic from one of his donors. Accepting job-related perks or gifts, including free travel, is prohibited in the Senate and can result in hefty legal trouble. Menendez last month wrote a $58,500 check to reimburse campaign donor Dr. Salomon Melgen for two trips he took at his expense, which he may have done to protect himself from any legal trouble as the media investigates his overseas affairs.

The senator has repeatedly denied all allegations against him, and his staff refused to respond to a request for comment by TheDC.