This week, Salomon Melgen, the mega-donor to embattled Sen. Bob Menendez, quietly filed paperwork revealing that he had hired the powerful DC law firm Arnold and Porter to lobby on his behalf four years ago, in 2009. The lobbying work concerned allegations that Melgen’s clinic had over-billed Medicare by almost $9 million. The new filing indicates Melgen spent as much as $60,000 on lobbying.
The obligation to file the lobbying report, however, doesn’t rest with Melgen, but with Arnold and Porter. The partner now listed as the lobbyist, Alan Reider, donated $1,000 to Sen. Menendez in 2012. His firm also donated $7,000 to the Senator. Reider was the party responsible for filing the lobbying report, not his client. An experienced lawyer like Reider would be aware of his obligation to file a lobbying report.
Years ago, I had to regularly file lobbying reports. My office filed the reports, not my clients. The onus is on the lobbyist. Reider needs to be asked why he didn’t file the required paperwork.
Breitbart News has reached out to Reider for an explanation. We have been told that he is traveling today and unavailable for comment. We will continue to follow-up and ask about the four-year delay in filing.
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