The Democratic Party is divided on the issue of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez’s resignation as he faces federal bribery charges.
The senator is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash and gold from three New Jersey businessmen with ties to Egypt.
In exchange the senator, formerly chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, provided sensitive information “to benefit the government of Egypt”. He is also accused of interfering in a criminal investigation of the businessmen’s allies.
Mr Menendez has denied the allegations and while he has stepped down from his committee post, he is digging in on his Congressional seat.
His party’s leadership in the Senate has, so far, backed his decision to remain in office. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday that the senator had a right to have the allegations play out in court, a tacit refusal to call for his resignation.
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“Bob Menendez has been a dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey. He has a right to due process and a fair trial,” Schumer said, in the statement.
Dick Durbin, the majority whip and No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, backed Mr Schumer on Sunday.
“In terms of resignation, that’s a decision to be made by Senator Menendez and the people of New Jersey,” he told CNN’s State of the Union.
“This is a very serious charge. There’s no question about it. But it bears reminding us of what I’ve said about the indictments against Donald Trump, equally serious charges,” the senator told Dana Bash. “These are, in fact, indictments that have to be proven. Under the rule of law, a person who is accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence. And it’s the responsibility of the government to prove that case.”
“I said that about Donald Trump. I’ll say the same thing about Bob Menendez.”
Yet a growing list of Democrats are calling for the senator to step down including Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, the caucus’s newest member in the upper chamber, and House members Dean Phillips, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Andy Kim. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has also called for him to relinquish his seat.
Mr Menendez released a combative statement in response.
"It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat," he said. "I am not going anywhere."
Representative Kim announced on Saturday that he would run against Mr Menendez in next year’s Senate primary should he choose to remain in office.
“After calls to resign, Senator Menendez said ’I am not going anywhere.’ As a result, I feel compelled to run against him. Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity,” he tweeted.
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President Joe Biden has not yet addressed the charges against Mr Menendez. He remained at the White House this weekend, and released a statement observing the Yom Kippur holiday on Sunday.
The case is the second corruption-related investigation that Mr Menendez has faced as an elected official. The senator was previously acquitted of bribery and mail fraud charges in 2018.
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1/ 1Democrats split over calls for Bob Menendez to resign
Democrats split over calls for Bob Menendez to resign
Bob Menendez arrives for a briefing on Ukraine at the US Capitol on September 20, 2023 in Washington, DC
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