WASHINGTON >> In the midst of federal bribery allegations, Senator Bob Menendez is facing mounting pressure to resign from his Democratic colleagues in the Senate. Fellow New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker and more than 20 Senate Democrats have urged Menendez to step aside. This chorus of calls for his resignation includes several Democrats running for reelection next year. Michigan Senator Gary Peters, the head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, also joined in demanding Menendez’s resignation. While Menendez has refused to leave office, he has not yet clarified whether he will run for reelection next year.
The indictment released on Friday accuses Menendez and his wife Nadine of leveraging his position to assist the authoritarian government of Egypt and influence federal prosecutors to drop a case against a friend, among other acts of corruption. The charges allege that three New Jersey businessmen paid the Menendezes bribes, including gold bars, a luxury car, and cash, in exchange for these illegal acts.
Booker stated in his press release that while Menendez deserves the presumption of innocence, senators should uphold a higher standard of conduct. Booker emphasized that the allegations against Menendez have severely damaged the trust and faith of his constituents. He described the indictment as containing “shocking allegations of corruption and specific, disturbing details of wrongdoing.”
“As senators, we operate in the public trust,” Booker said. “That trust is essential to our ability to do our work and perform our duties for our constituents.”
Menendez maintains his innocence and claims that the nearly half million dollars in cash found in his home, some of which was stuffed in clothing pockets, are from personal savings reserved for emergencies. However, the indictment states that authorities discovered about 10 cash-filled envelopes with the fingerprints of one of the other defendants in the case. Menendez, his wife, and two of the businessmen co-defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.
Wael Hana, another defendant in the case, voluntarily returned from Egypt to face the charges, resulting in his arrest at New York’s Kennedy airport today. The indictment states that Hana acted as a conduit between Menendez and Egyptian military and intelligence officials, relaying messages and arranging meetings.
This recent defiance from Menendez mirrors his previous response to federal bribery charges eight years ago, which ended in a deadlocked jury in 2017. As in the past, Menendez has stepped down from his leadership position on the Foreign Relations panel but has made it clear that he intends to remain in office.
Booker’s call for Menendez’s resignation is particularly significant in the close-knit Senate, where public criticism between home state colleagues is rare. Notably, Booker and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham both acted as character witnesses in Menendez’s previous trial.
As the pressure mounts for Menendez to resign, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders, who have refrained from recommending his resignation thus far, face increasing scrutiny. The White House has also chosen not to comment on the matter.
Democratic senators on Monday and today, including Tammy Baldwin, Jon Tester, Jacky Rosen, Bob Casey, Michael Bennet, Mark Kelly, Mazie Hirono, Martin Heinrich, Amy Klobuchar, Raphael Warnock, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chris Murphy, Maggie Hassan, Elizabeth Warren, and Ed Markey, all called for Menendez to step down. The number of calls from the Senate Democratic caucus is expected to continue to grow.
If Menendez decides to run for reelection, he will face at least one primary challenger – Democratic Representative Andy Kim, who announced his candidacy over the weekend in response to the charges against Menendez.
Furthermore, Menendez is likely to lack support from his party. Senator Gary Peters, who called for his resignation today, serves as the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which provides campaign support to incumbent Democratic senators and challengers.
Court proceedings today resulted in Hana’s release on cash bail and bond pending trial. Hana’s lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, maintains his client’s innocence and highlights Hana’s preexisting friendship with Nadine Menendez.
Prosecutors assert that Hana provided Menendez’s wife with a “low-show or no-show job,” contributed $23,000 towards her mortgage, wrote $30,000 checks to her consulting company, promised her envelopes of cash, sent her exercise equipment, and purchased some of the gold bars discovered in the Menendezes’ home. Additionally, according to the indictment, Hana sought Menendez’s help in countering criticism from U.S. agricultural officials after his company obtained a lucrative monopoly over certifying imported meat’s compliance with religious standards.
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