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NJ's Booker and NY's Gillibrand call for indicted fellow Sen. Bob Menendez to resign
By
Nancy Solomon
Published Sep 26, 2023
Modified Sep 26, 2023
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(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
By
Nancy Solomon
Published Sep 26, 2023
Modified Sep 26, 2023
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After four days of silence, Democratic U.S. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are calling for their indicted colleague, Sen. Bob Menendez, to resign.
“The details of the allegations against Sen. Menendez are of such a nature that the faith and trust of New Jerseyans as well as those he must work with in order to be effective have been shaken to the core,” Booker said in a written statement released on Tuesday, even as he stressed their strong working relationship and said it had benefited New Jerseyans.
At an unrelated event on Tuesday at the Arsenal Building in Manhattan's Central Park, Gillibrand said she agreed with Booker.
"The American people deserve a government they can trust ... that they're not questioning whether their elected leaders are working for the people or for themselves. And in light of that lack of trust. I share Sen. Booker's views that he should step down," she said.
Menendez, the senior senator and mentor to Booker, was indicted on Friday for the second time in his political career. Federal prosecutors say he took hundreds of thousands of dollars and lavish gifts in exchange for helping Egypt with weapons deals and aid, as well as for interfering with criminal prosecutions. In one case, they say he ghostwrote a letter from Egyptian officials seeking U.S. aid.
He held a press conference on Monday to assert his innocence and say that he would not resign. Gov. Phil Murphy, state Democratic party leaders and several members of the state’s congressional delegation called for Menendez to step down on Friday.
Menendez indictment: What to know
- It’s the second time Menendez has faced a bribery indictment. He was charged in 2015 with trading political favors for donations and other perks, but the trial ended in a hung jury.
- Prosecutors say Menendez and his wife took gold bars, a luxury vehicle, $480,000 in cash and financial favors. Menendez denies the allegations.
- The indictment says Egypt gave one of the businessmen a lucrative halal meat contract that helped fund the bribes.
- Menendez is also accused of abusing his influence on the Senate Foreign Relations commission to help Egypt, including ghostwriting a letter for Egyptian officials seeking U.S. aid.
- Here's a breakdown of the key figures discussed in the indictment.
- Top New Jersey Democrats including Gov. Phil Murphy are calling for his resignation.
- Menendez is up for re-election in 2024. He's vowed to fight the charges.
“Sen. Menendez fiercely asserts his innocence and it is therefore understandable that he believes stepping down is patently unfair. But I believe this is a mistake,” Booker said in Tuesday’s statement. “Stepping down is not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment that holding public office often demands tremendous sacrifices at great personal cost. Senator Menendez has made these sacrifices in the past to serve. And in this case he must do so again. I believe stepping down is best for those Senator Menendez has spent his life serving.”
Booker also praised the senior senator, saying he’d witnessed “his extraordinary work and boundless work ethic.” He described Menendez as “intellectually gifted, tough, passionate and deeply empathic."
Menendez, his wife and three businessmen will be arraigned in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday morning. In a June 2022 raid on the Menendez home, prosecutors say the FBI found $480,000 in cash stuffed in envelopes and hidden around the house. There were also bars of gold and a Mercedes Benz convertible tied to the businessmen.
Rep. Andy Kim, who represents New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, has announced he will run in the Democratic primary to unseat Menendez.
Over the weekend, Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman was the first Democratic U.S. senator to call for Menendez's resignation. More have followed suit in the days since, including Montana’s Jon Tester, Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, Nevada’s Jacky Rosen, Vermont's Peter Welch and Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin. On Tuesday, the Boston Globe reported Elizabeth Warren had as well, along with her fellow Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, who said shortly afterward in a post on X that Menendez should resign.
Fetterman said he’d return $5,000 from Menendez’s leadership PAC “in envelopes stuffed with $100 bills.”
No Republican senators have yet called for Menendez to resign.
The new comments contrast with the statement issued by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, from New York, who pledged to stand by Menendez in a statement issued last week.
“Bob Menendez has been a dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey,” Schumer said in a statement last week. “He has a right to due process and a fair trial,” Senate Majority Leader said in a statement late Friday.”
This story has been updated to include a statement from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and more details about other senators' statements. Brigid Bergin contributed to this story.
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Nancy Solomon
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