US Senator Menendez Refuses To Step Down From Congress

U.S. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez on Monday has refused to resign from his seat, amid calls for his resignation coming from some prominent Democrat elected officials, including former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker and senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

Menendez’s decision to remain in the Senate may complicate his party’s efforts to maintain its narrow 51-49 majority in that chamber, although New Jersey has not elected a Republican to a Senate seat since 1972.

However, Menendez has stepped down temporarily from his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senate Democratic rules require any member charged with a felony to vacate their leadership position, though they can take it back if they are found not guilty.

In his first public statement since the charges were filed on Friday, Menendez, aged 69, asserted, “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.”

Prosecutors allege that Menendez received gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for leveraging his influence to assist the Egyptian government and obstruct law enforcement investigations into the businessmen.

Several fellow Democrats have joined the chorus of voices calling for Menendez’s resignation. Sherrod Brown, a Senate Democrat, stated, “Senator Menendez has broken the public trust and should resign from the U.S. Senate.” Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania also urged Menendez to step down via a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). Later on, Democratic Senator Peter Welch expressed his encouragement for Menendez to resign, citing that the allegations had compromised his capacity to be an effective senator.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t comment on Menendez’s decision to remain in Congress, but stressed that the senator stepping down from his chairmanship was the right course of action.

Prosecutors seek the forfeiture of Menendez’s assets, which include his residence, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz convertible, and $566,000 in cash, gold bars, and bank account funds.

U.S. Representative Andy Kim, a fellow New Jersey Democrat, made public his intention to challenge Menendez in a primary ahead of the 2024 election, citing the allegations as the impetus for his decision. Menendez has not yet made an official statement of his intention for re-election.

Menendez has maintained that the cash found in his home was withdrawn from his accounts and kept for emergencies, and emphasized his commitment to holding countries accountable for human rights abuses, including Egypt, during the period covered by the indictment, and throughout his career.