- Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has defiantly acknowledged that he’s not stepping down from workplace.
- Menendez on Friday was charged with taking a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} price of bribes.
- “I’m not going wherever,” he mentioned in an announcement, whereas additionally referencing his Latino heritage.
Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey on Friday was charged with taking a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} price of bribes, the second time he has confronted federal corruption prices as a member of the higher chamber.
The veteran Democratic lawmaker briefly stepped down from his place as chairman of the Overseas Relations committee.
However after Damian Williams, the US lawyer for the Southern District of New York, introduced the senator’s prices and detailed what his workplace mentioned was an expansive corruption scheme, a slew of Backyard State Democrats known as on their colleague to resign from workplace.
Rep. Andy Kim, the primary Democratic lawmaker within the state’s congressional delegation to inform Menendez to name it quits, on Saturday introduced he is difficult the senator in subsequent 12 months’s Democratic major.
Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, together with Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone Jr., Invoice Pascrell, and Mikie Sherrill, have additionally pressed the senator to resign.
However Menendez indicated he’s not leaving workplace.
“It’s not misplaced on me how shortly some are dashing to evaluate a Latino and push him out of his seat,” he wrote in an announcement in response to Democratic officers who’ve publicly damaged with him. “I’m not going wherever.”
Menendez was appointed to the Senate in January 2006 by then-Gov. Jon Corzine, who beforehand held the seat and had simply taken workplace in Trenton. The senator was elected to a full time period later that 12 months and reelected in 2012 and 2018.
And Menendez is up for reelection subsequent 12 months, making a politically-perilous scenario the place he might stand trial whereas additionally campaigning for a fourth full time period in workplace — a situation many Democrats would like to not see unfold.
Republicans, who would like to contest a race in a state the place their Senate nominees haven’t received since 1972, shortly pounced on the information of the senator’s indictment.
“Bob Menendez is a shame who abused his Senate seat and allegedly betrayed his nation for a pair hundred thousand {dollars},” Senate Republican marketing campaign committee spokesman Philip Letsou mentioned in an announcement. “Democrats lined for Menendez the primary time he obtained indicted for corruption. It might be a disgrace in the event that they did so once more.”
Within the 39-page indictment, which covers a timeframe of roughly 2018 to 2022, Menendez and his spouse — Nadine Menendez — are accused of aiding a number of Egyptian businessmen in trade for bribes.
The indictment alleges that the senator “supplied delicate US authorities data and took different steps that secretly aided the Authorities of Egypt.”
Menendez in 2015 was accused of looking for to help a Florida eye physician in trade for items and marketing campaign contributions, however the case led to a mistrial in 2017.
“To those that had been digging my political grave in order that they might soar into my seat, I do know who you might be, and I will not neglect you,” the senator mentioned on the time.
