Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has had enough of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey.
After his fellow Democrat was convicted on all 16 counts in a federal corruption trial, Schumer wasted no time Tuesday to call for Menendez to step down.
“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 news release and a post on X.
In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2024
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Some Senate Democrats said that if Menendez does not go voluntarily, they will expel him.
“Senator Menendez has been found guilty of political corruption by a jury of his peers. 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,” Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada said in a statement, according to NBC News.
In a post on X, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, “As I said when he was charged, public service is a sacred trust and Senator Menendez has broken that trust. 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.”
As I said when he was charged, public service is a sacred trust and Senator Menendez has broken that trust. 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.
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) July 16, 2024
Menendez will be sentenced on Oct. 29 after being convicted on all charges in a wide-ranging indictment that accused him of bribery and acting as a foreign agent for the governments of Egypt and Qatar, according to the New York Post. Some counts upon which he was convicted carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The 70-year-old senator lost to Rep. Andy Kim in the Democratic primary in June but remains on the ballot as an independent.
Menendez, who beat a 2017 federal indictment that ended in a mistrial, indicated Tuesday after his conviction that he was not done fighting.
“I’m deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision. I have every faith that the law and the facts have not sustained that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal,” the senator told reporters.
“I have never violated my public oath,” he said. “I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country.”
After a jury found Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial, he says he “never violated” his oath and plans to appeal.
“I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country.” https://t.co/VAkCpQ8KUU pic.twitter.com/oTBQjCgg2l
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 16, 2024
That’s not how the prosecution saw it.
“Mr. Menendez sold the power of his office,” prosecutor Paul Monteleoni said in court, according to the Post.
Should Bob Menendez resign?
“It wasn’t enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington,” Monteleoni said. “It wasn’t enough for him to be entrusted by the public with the power to approve billions of dollars of US military aid to foreign countries.
“Robert Menendez wanted all that power — but he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife.”
The defense tried to blame Menendez’s wife, Nadine, saying she cut deals in his name without his knowledge.
As for the trove of gold bars found in his house, the senator’s sister said it was simply a mistrust of banks stemming from his Cuban heritage.
“It’s a Cuban thing,” Caridad Gonzalez said.
