UPDATE: Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023 · 5:27:42 PM +00:00
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Joan McCarter
Rev. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia joins in, via email from his staff: “The covenant we have with the American people is sacred, and ensuring the public has faith that those of us elected to serve are working for them and not other interests is paramount. Senator Menendez has every right to make his case in our courts, but for the good of public trust in our institutions and our democracy, he should step aside and resign.”
Newly indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was defiant on Monday, insisting that he would be proven innocent of the bribery charges leveled against him by federal prosecutors. “[N]ot only will I be exonerated,” he said, “but I still will be the New Jersey’s senior senator.” New Jersey’s Democratic leadership, including Gov. Phil Murphy, as well as some of the state’s Democratic House delegation have called on him to resign.
Menendez’s Senate colleagues soon joined in. It started as a trickle on Sept. 23, with Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman tweeting that Menendez should resign. “He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence, but he cannot continue to wield influence over national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations,” Fetterman said. Then, on Monday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown became the second, issuing a simple statement: “Senator Menendez has broken the public trust and should resign from the U.S. Senate.” He was followed by Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, who tweeted that “the shocking and specific allegations against Senator Menendez have wholly compromised his capacity to be that effective Senator.”
The breaking point seemed to come Monday evening, when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on MSNBC, “It would probably be a good idea if [Menendez] did resign.”
The floodgates opened Tuesday morning as many more Democratic senators echoed the call, including some who—like Brown—are up for reelection in 2024. As of 12 PM ET, the list of senators calling for Menendez’s resignation mushroomed: Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jon Tester of Montana, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
The biggest blow, however, came from Menendez’s fellow New Jersey senator, Cory Booker.
“I believe stepping down is best for those Senator Menendez has spent his life serving,” Booker said.
Look at all those elected Democrats not making up conspiracies about the deep state or about two systems of justice or about how Menendez was framed—all these Democrats who believe in the rule of law. Pelosi explained it well. “Right now, sadly, because of the challenges that we face, because the skepticism that exists in our country about governance, about this Republican Party that doesn’t believe in governance … we’ve gotta stay focused on that. And for that reason, it would probably be a good idea if he did resign,” she said.
Perhaps the kiss of death for Menendez’s Senate career came from this guy, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
When you’ve got a Republican rooting for you, you know it’s time to move on.
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