Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) responded on Tuesday to the media's handling of prostitution allegations made against him, criticizing "nameless, faceless, anonymous sources ... from right-wing blogs."
"[They] took this story, which were just false smears right before an election cycle, attempted to do it then, and ultimately drove it into the mainstream press," Menendez told reporters on his way to a vote. "But they were never anything other than false smears."
Menendez was accused of paying for sex on a trip to the Dominican Republic, as reported first by The Daily Caller in November 2012. The senator has denied the allegations from the beginning, saying they "are manufactured by a politically motivated right-wing blog and are false."
ABC News, which also interviewed the women accusing the Senator, found that they could not provide identity cards to prove their real names and used the same stories almost word for word. Suspicions seemed to be confirmed when one of the women later told authorities that the claims were false in an affidavit, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
On Tuesday, Menendez pinned responsibility on the media to investigate his accusers thoroughly. He said he has "no idea" who might be behind the matter.
"I hope that you all will vigorously go after who was the source and purpose, as you did go after the story at the time," Menendez said.
The allegations of soliciting sex aren't Menendez's only problem. He has also been accused of improperly helping a campaign donor by pushing for legislation that would benefit the man's financial interests, but has denied the charge.
Watch a clip of Menendez's remarks to reporters above.
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