Calls for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign intensified Sunday from within the New Jersey Democrat’s own party as other elected leaders said the federal bribery charges and accusations of public corruption were grounds to relinquish his office.
Calls for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign intensified Sunday from within the New Jersey Democrat’s own party as other elected leaders said the federal bribery charges and accusations of public corruption were grounds to relinquish his office.
New York prosecutors say nearly a half-million dollars in cash, gold bars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a luxury car were among the gifts Mr. Menendez and his wife accepted from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for information that would benefit both them personally and the Egyptian government.
Reps. Eric Swalwell of California, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Don Beyer of Virginia, along with former Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, joined the growing list Sunday of current and former elected Democrats pushing Mr. Menendez to resign.
“The situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe that it is in the best interest for Sen. Menendez to resign in this moment,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said on the CBS News show “Face the Nation.”
“It shouldn’t matter whether it’s a Republican or a Democrat. The details in this indictment are extremely serious,” she said.
Mr. Swalwell also argued that the indictment refuted claims from Republicans that the Biden administration has weaponized the Justice Department to pursue political enemies.
“He should [resign], and I think it’s important that we point out that, speaking of [Attorney General] Merrick Garland, that any idea that the Department of Justice is being weaponized to protect President Biden is just nonsense,” he said on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.
