Bob Menendez’s Alleged Prostitutes Were Really Exchange Students, and Other New Details from the Dominican Republic

Well folks, we’re both a lot closer and a lot further from knowing what the hell New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has been doing in the Dominican Republic. Following the leads of the tipster who alleged that Mendendez was keeping company with ladies of the night, the Miami Herald found that the names of girls he provided–“Maria” and “Geraldine” matched the addresses he said they were staying at. But their landlady threw a wrench into the narrative.

When reached by phone, the landlady said that two young women named Geraldine and Maria had indeed lived there last year, and said the nationalities matched. However, the landlady, who declined to be named, did not believe the women to be prostitutes — she said she thought they were beautiful foreign exchange students — and had never heard of Menendez or [Menendez buddy and influential donor Dr. Salomon] Melgen visiting the apartment.

And just like good foreign exchange students, “they behaved very badly,” tearing up the wallpaper of the apartment and leaving it nearly destroyed. Aside from the addresses of the girls, and of Melgen’s address in the D.R., our tipster got another crucial detail right too: Sveltana B, a Russian national he identified as “one of the most regular participants in the activities the Doctor arranges for the Senator,” told the paper that “he treated me well,” “he had money,” and “he was very generous.” Read into that at your own risk. [Miami Herald]