Democrat Senator John Fetterman on Saturday called for embattled Democrat Senator Bob Menendez to resign over the bribery and corruption indictment.
Fetterman is the first Democrat US Senator to call for Menendez to resign.
“Senator Menendez should resign,” Fetterman said in a post to X on Saturday.
“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,” he added.
Fetterman continued, “I hope he chooses an honorable exit and focuses on his trial.”
Senator 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.
I hope he chooses an honorable exit and focuses on his trial.
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) September 23, 2023
Federal prosecutors announced Friday that Democrat U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, and his wife, have been indicted on charges of bribery and corruption.
Federal prosecutors out of the Southern District of New York obtained a 3-count indictment against Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine Menendez.
Bob Menendez
Fred Daibes, a real estate developer, New Jersey businessman Wael Hana and Joseph Uribe were also charged.
“The Senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes….. cash, gold, home mortgage payments, jobs, cars, and other things of value” in exchange for “using his power and influence to protect and enrich [New Jersey] businessmen and to benefit the government of Egypt,” US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said.
Nadine Menendez was given a “no-show” or “low-show” job, a Mercedes Benz and other things of value, Damian Williams said.
Special agents discovered $500,000 of cash stuffed into envelopes in closets. “Some of the cash was stuffed in the Senator’s jacket pockets. Some of the envelopes of cash contained Daibes’ fingerprints and Daibes’ DNA,” Williams said at a press conference on Friday.
evidence photos show cash, Mercedes and gold bars
Menendez will be stepping down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, however, this is not enough for top New Jersey Democrats.
Top New Jersey Democrats are calling for Menendez to resign as Senator.
“These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system. Under our legal system, Senator Menendez and the other defendants have not been found guilty and will have the ability to present evidence disputing these charges, and we must respect the process,” Gov. Murphy said in a statement on Friday.
Bob Menendez remained defiant and used the race card in his response to calls for his resignation Friday evening.
“It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere,” Menendez said.
NEW: Sen Menendez responds to calls for his resignation w/ new stmt: “It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”
Full statement is here: pic.twitter.com/qkVTXhwoAw
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 22, 2023
