WASHINGTON — More than two dozen Democratic U.S. Senate senators, including Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, are calling on New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez to resign after he was indicted for a second time on corruption charges.
Among the 29 senators whose names appeared Wednesday was a Democratic senator from New Jersey. Cory Bookerwho said in a statement that Menendez’s refusal to step down was a “mistake.”
“Resignation is not an admission of guilt, but an acknowledgment that holding public office often involves enormous sacrifice and great personal cost,” Booker said.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois on Wednesday morning called on Menendez to resign. Durbin is the No. 2 Democrat in Senate leadership and chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“New Jersey leaders, including the governor and my Senate colleague Cory Booker, have made it clear that Senator Menendez can no longer serve,” he said. wrote on Xformerly known as Twitter. “He should resign.”
Menendez, who has temporarily resigned from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has vehemently denied the allegations and reiterated that there is no such intention give up.
“I realize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have said throughout this trial, I truly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be acquitted, but I will continue to be New Jersey’s senior senator,” Menendez said Monday.
Booker was the first Democratic member of the Foreign Relations Committee to call on Menendez to resign.
Other Democratic senators calling for Menendez’s resignation include Bob Casey and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania; Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts; Peter Welch of Vermont; Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Jon Tester of Montana; Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; Jacky Rosen of Nevada; Martin Heinrich of New Mexico; Mark Kelly of Arizona; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Michael Bennett and J.without Hickenlooper of Colorado; Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire; Mazie Hirono of Hawaii; Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia; Gary Peters of Michigan; Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut; Tammy Duckworth of Illinois; and Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray of Washington.
Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also called on Menendez to resign.
“The covenant we have with the American people is sacred, and it is paramount that we ensure the public has confidence that those of us elected to serve are working for them and not for other interests,” Warnock said in a statement.
“Senator Menendez has every right to present his case before our courts, but for the sake of public confidence in our institutions and our democracy, he should step down and resign.”
Violation of public trust
Nearly all Senate Democrats argued that while Menendez is innocent until proven guilty, the allegations are so egregious that they constitute a breach of the public trust and called on him to resign.
“He is entitled to the presumption of innocence, but he cannot continue to influence national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations,” said Fetterman, who was the first Democrat to call on Menendez to resign. wrote on Xformerly Twitter.
Several senators have already announced they intend to distribute campaign funds received from Menendez’s political action committee.
Tester and Casey, who are facing tough re-election campaigns in 2024, said they will each donate $10,000 in contributions from Menendez’s PAC, according to Hill.
Tester’s campaign will donate its $10,000 to a veterans’ charity, and Casey’s campaign will donate its $10,000 to an unspecified organization.
“Public service is a sacred trust,” Casey said in a statement. “The specific allegations in the federal indictment demonstrate to me that Senator Menendez repeatedly violated that trust.”
Fetterman also announced he would return $5,000 from a PAC linked to Menendez, according to CNBC.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said on the Senate floor last week that Menendez was “correct” to resign as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and did not express an opinion on whether he should remain in the post.
“Bob Menendez has been a dedicated public servant and has always fought fiercely for the people of New Jersey,” Schumer said. “He is entitled to due process and a fair trial.”
The White House has largely moved away from the matter. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that whether Menendez resigns “will certainly be up to him and the Senate leadership.”
However, not all senators are calling for his resignation.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas criticized the Justice Department for prosecuting Menendez.
“He should be tried by the jurors and voters of New Jersey, not by Democratic politicians who now see him as an inconvenience to their government,” Cotton said. he said on X.
And when asked on MSNBCMichigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow said she wanted to “let this move forward this week and we’ll see what happens.”
However, tardy Tuesday evening, Stabenow called for Menendez to resign.
Menendez’s accusations
Federal authorities last weekk charged New Jersey’s senior senator with one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit straightforward services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion under the guise of official authority.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for official favors to facilitate three men — Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes — and the Egyptian people. Nadine Menendez, Hana, Uribe and Daibes are named in the indictment.
Several New Jersey lawmakers have also called on Menendez to resign, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Andy Kim, Bill Pascrell Jr., Josh Gottheimer and Tom Malinowski.
Kim also coming soon announced plans to run against Menendez for his seat.
This isn’t the first time federal prosecutors have charged Menendez. In 2018, New Jersey prosecutors dismissed a case in which Menendez was accused of making campaign contributions and other bribes in exchange for official favors.
