Senator Bob Menendez Faces Calls for Resignation Amid Bribery Charges

Pressure on Senator Bob Menendez is growing as fellow New Jersey Democrat, Senator Cory Booker, joined calls for his resignation in light of bribery and public corruption charges. Menendez was indicted four days ago, and this latest call adds to reactions from New Jersey’s congressional delegation and over a dozen Democratic U.S. senators.

Booker released a statement on Tuesday stating that while Menendez “fiercely asserts his innocence,” stepping down is the best course of action. Other Democratic senators, including those up for re-election in 2024, such as Senators Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey, Martin Heinrich, Amy Klobuchar, Jacky Rosen, and Jon Tester, have also called for Menendez’s resignation.

Booker, who had previously supported Menendez when he faced indictment in 2015, expressed that Menendez must resign despite his claims of innocence to protect the interests of those he has served throughout his career.

Governor Phil Murphy and other New Jersey Democrats have also urged Menendez to step down, in contrast to the 2015 indictment when most of the party supported him. In that case, the charges were dropped by the Justice Department in 2018 after a mistrial.

The three-count indictment against Menendez, his wife, and three businessmen alleges a bribery scheme from 2018 to 2022. Menendez is accused of passing sensitive information about U.S. embassy staff in Cairo, seeking to maintain a U.S. monopoly for an Egyptian halal meat provider, influencing the prosecution of a co-defendant’s relative, and seeking the appointment of a favorable U.S. attorney for another co-defendant under investigation. In return, Menendez allegedly received cash, gold bars, and assistance in buying a new car.

Despite the calls for resignation, Menendez maintains his innocence and believes that he will be exonerated when all the facts are presented.