Photo: Democrats are calling on US Sen. Bob Menendez to resign his seat, with some issuing new threats to expel him after he was found guilty Tuesday on 16 federal counts that included bribery and acting as a foreign agent.
The New Jersey Democrat was found guilty on all counts, including acting as a foreign agent, bribery, and corruption, leading some Democrats to say he should be expelled.
By Sahil Kapur, Kate Santaliz and Frank Thorp V
Democrats are turning up the heat on Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., as more senators call on him to resign his seat, with some issuing new threats to expel him after he was found guilty Tuesday on 16 federal counts that included bribery and acting as a foreign agent.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who had previously chastised Menendez, joined the calls for the New Jersey Democrat to step down shortly after the verdict.
“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said in a brief statement.
But other Democrats went beyond simply calling on him to quit and endorsed expulsion if he refused to resign immediately; Senate rules do not require members to step down due to felony convictions.
“As I said when he was charged, public service is a sacred trust and Senator Menendez has broken that trust,” Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said on X. “Now that a jury of his peers has found him guilty on all 16 charges, including acting as a foreign agent, Senator Menendez should resign or face expulsion from the Senate.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., also said she’d support expelling him.
“Senator Menendez has been found guilty of political corruption by a jury of his peers,” Rosen said in a statement. “As I’ve already called for, I believe he should resign immediately from the U.S. Senate. If he refuses to resign, he should be expelled.”
After he was indicted, Menendez relinquished his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as the trial went forward but continued to vote as a member of the panel and on the floor. That could rapidly become untenable after his conviction in a bribery scheme that included acting to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
The Senate Ethics Committee is already investigating Menendez and said Tuesday it would complete that probe “promptly.” If Menendez declined to resign, the panel could make a recommendation that the Senate expel him. It takes two-thirds of the Senate, or 67 votes, to expel a member.
Since 1789, the Senate has expelled only 15 members, with 14 of them ousted from the Senate for their role in the Confederacy. The last expulsion occurred in 1862 when a group of senators was removed for their support of the Confederate rebellion.
Meanwhile, several Democratic senators joined 31 of their colleagues who had already called on Menendez to resign prior to the verdict. The new names included Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Ron Wyden, D=Ore., and Laphonza Butler, D-Calif.
Vacating the seat could allow New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, to appoint a successor to finish out the remainder of Menendez’s term; Murphy said after the verdict that Menendez should resign and, if not, he would support Senate expulsion.
Menendez’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, just before Election Day, when voters will decide who should fill the seat for the next six years. Menendez has filed to run for re-election as an independent and indicated he will appeal the verdict without saying whether that will impact his re-election plans or if he plans to resign from the Senate.
Meanwhile, several Democratic senators joined 31 of their colleagues who had already called on Menendez to resign prior to the verdict. The new names included Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Ron Wyden, D=Ore., and Laphonza Butler, D-Calif.
Vacating the seat could allow New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, to appoint a successor to finish out the remainder of Menendez’s term; Murphy said after the verdict that Menendez should resign and, if not, he would support Senate expulsion.
Menendez’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, just before Election Day, when voters will decide who should fill the seat for the next six years. Menendez has filed to run for re-election as an independent and indicated he will appeal the verdict without saying whether that will impact his re-election plans or if he plans to resign from the Senate.
NBC
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.