U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) delivers remarks, after he and his spouse Nadine Menendez had been indicted on bribery offenses in reference to their corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen, in Union City, New Jersey, U.S., September 25, 2023.
Mike Segar | Reuters
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker joined a fast-growing refrain of Democrats to call on Sen. Bob Menendez, his fellow lawmaker from New Jersey, to resign due to his indictment final week on federal bribery prices.
“I consider stepping down is finest for these Senator Menendez has spent his life serving,” Booker mentioned in a press release on his X account.
Booker referred to as the allegations of corruption in opposition to Menendez “stunning” and “disturbing.”
“I’ve discovered the allegations onerous to reconcile with the individual I do know,” wrote Booker, who famous he had labored with Menendez for practically a decade.
By Tuesday morning, 13 of Menendez’s fellow Democratic senators had requested that he step down in mild of the allegations that he and his spouse, Nadine, accepted a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} in money, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and extra from three Garden State businessmen in change for favors.
Before Monday, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the one Senate Democrat to call on Menendez to resign.
He since has been joined by Sens. Booker, Michael Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown, Peter Welch, Tammy Baldwin, Jon Tester, Jacky Rosen, Bob Casey, Elizabeth Warren, Martin Heinrich and Mark Kelly.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who beforehand served as House speaker, informed MSNBC in an interview Monday night time, “It most likely can be a good suggestion if he did resign.”
At least 5 House Democratic members from New Jersey have referred to as on Menendez to resign. A bunch of New Jersey state elected officers, amongst them Gov. Phil Murphy, has requested that he achieve this, as have no less than 11 of the state’s 21 Democratic county chairs.
The Senate’s high Democrat, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, has not referred to as on Menendez to resign. Schumer’s caucus totals 48 senators.
Menendez stepped apart as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee however stays a member of that panel, in addition to a member of the Banking and Finance committees.
But Menendez has mentioned he has no plans to quit the Senate.
“Yes, he ought to resign,” Klobuchar informed NBC News. “But he has mentioned he will not, in order that’s why I’ve referred to as for the Senate investigation, the Senate ethics investigation to start instantly separate & other than the continued felony case.”
The campaigns of Tester and Casey, who’re up for re-election subsequent 12 months, informed CNBC they may donate the 1000’s of {dollars} every marketing campaign acquired from Menendez’s management political motion committee this spring to charity.
Fetterman’s spokesman on Monday mentioned the senator was returning $5,000 from Menendez’s PAC “in envelopes filled with $100 payments.”
Prosecutors mentioned that in a raid final 12 months on Menendez’s New Jersey house and a secure deposit field, federal brokers discovered greater than $480,000 in money, scores of gold bars and a luxurious car that had been the “fruits of [the couple’s] corrupt bribery settlement” with three New Jersey businessmen.
Menendez steered to reporters Monday hat the money found by investigators “had been monies drawn from my private financial savings account primarily based on the earnings that I’ve lawfully derived.”