Kim Lyons / Pennsylvania Capital-Star
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-4th District) called on New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez to resign, joining fellow Pennsylvania Democrats Sen. John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (12th District).
“Public service is a sacred trust,” Casey said in a statement Tuesday. “The specific allegations set forth in the federal indictment indicate to me that Senator Menendez violated that trust repeatedly. While he is entitled to the presumption of innocence, serving in public office is a privilege that demands a higher standard of conduct. Senator Menendez should resign.”
Federal prosecutors indicted Menendez last week on bribery and fraud charges, saying he took cash, gold, and gifts in exchange for using his political influence to help associates.
“[A]mid news of his indictment, I am calling on Senator Menendez to resign,” Dean said in a statement, adding that the charges “would substantially interfere with the Senator’s ability to represent the people of New Jersey in the way they deserve.” She said the evidence from the Department of Justice investigation of Menendez was overwhelming. “As I’ve said before, regarding former President Trump: this amount of compelling evidence coupled with such serious charges represents the behavior of a person unfit for public office,” Dean said.
Fetterman was the first U.S. Senator to call for Menendez’s resignation.
“This week, I hope to see my colleagues fully address the alleged systemic corruption of Senator Menendez with the same vigor and velocity they brought to concerns about our dress code,” Fetterman said in a statement on Tuesday.
Menendez spoke publicly on Monday for the first time about the charges, reiterating that he has no plans to resign from the Senate.
“I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator,” Menendez said.
The New Jersey senator has been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under the color of official right. His wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged with federal crimes.
Menendez faced federal corruption charges in 2015, but those charges were eventually dropped after a 2017 trial ended in a hung jury.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday that Menendez would temporarily step aside as chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said Saturday that he would run against Menendez in the Democratic primary for Senate next year.
This article was updated at 11:40 a.m. Sept. 26, 2023 to add statements from Rep. Madeleine Dean and Sen. John Fetterman.
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