New Jersey Sen. Menendez under federal investigation again

New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez is facing another federal investigation, five years after having corruption charges dismissed.

A Menendez adviser old media outlet Semafor on Wednesday that the senator is aware of the probe but does not know the scope.

New York Southern District prosecutors have reached out to people connected to the senator, two sources told the outlet.

Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was indicted in 2015 along with Florida retinologist Salomon Melgen after officials said the doctor gave the senator vacations and private flights in exchange for assistance with government contracts.

The senator's lawyers argued that the two were close friends and the 2017 trial ended with a deadlocked jury.

The new investigation is reportedly similar to the 2017 case but involves different people.

ABC News confirmed the initial report, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Menendez has been a vocal critics of several foreign policy decisions made by the administration of President Biden, who as a senator also was chairman of the Foreign Relations committee.

Menendez was one of the most prominent Democrats to criticize the U.S. military's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in summer 2021 and Biden's efforts to try to restore the Obama-era, international nuclear deal with Iran.

More recently, he's been critical of Biden’s changes to U.S. policy toward Venezuela and Cuba, including new travel provisions to the latter.

Earlier this year, another congressional Democrat, Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, came under federal investigation under a Democrat administration.

Cuellar’s home and campaign office in Texas were raided in January, reportedly as part of a federal investigation into the country of Azerbaijan and a group of U.S. businessmen who have ties to the country, according to ABC News.