What Was Included in the Expenses, Senator?

There is more today about the scandal regarding senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his allegedly having sex with underage prostitutes on multiple occasions in the Dominican Republic.  Today, Menedez' office announced that he had reimbursed one of his prominent donors for the expenses of two trips taken in 2010 to the Dominican Republic.  These are two of the trips where Menendez allegedly consorted with the underage girls.  Even though the costs for the trips totalled about $58,000 according to Menedez' office, the senator did not "remember" to reimburse his donor for the expenses of these trip for more than two years.  Indeed, the reimbursement was only made on January 4, 2013, once the subject of the trips was being discussed in the media.  Menendez also "forgot" to report the trips on his ethics forms required by the rules of the senate.  After all, a senator is not entitled to take gifts without public disclosure of them.  While it is not hard to understand why Menendez would not want to disclose a free trip to visit prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, as alleged, it is difficult to understand why the donor would not seek repayment of the $58,000 for so long if it was understood all along that Menendez would repay the costs of the trip. 

I have to say that I have been wondering what was included in the expenses for which Menedez finally sent reimbursement after two and a half years.  I would love to know if there is a line item for "prostitutes" or, perhaps, the more innocuous sounding "entertainment."

Menendez today has also issued a statement denying that he had sex with underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic.  It would have been a nice touch if he had worded the statement like this:  "I did not have sex with those women, the prostitutes."  It would just be so Clintonian.