Chuck Schumer demands Bob Menendez step down from Senate after conviction on 16 counts of corruption
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called on Bob Menendez to step down from his seat after a jury found him guilty on all 16 charges in a federal bribery case.
Prosecutors said Menendez had used his powerful Senate seat to sell favors to Egypt and other clients. Among those charges were bribery, acting as a foreign agent, extortion, wire fraud, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Schumer called for him to resign minutes after the conviction was announced on Tuesday.
“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” wrote Schumer in a message on social media.
Other Democrats joined the chorus against the senator from New Jersey.
“I called on Sen. Menendez to resign after a mountain of damning evidence against him was made public. Now that he’s been convicted on all counts, there’s absolutely no excuse: He must resign or be expelled,” said Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina.
Democrat Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey also called on him to resign in a lengthy statement.
“This is a dark, painful day for the people of New Jersey. Representing people in Congress demands the public’s trust. When any elected official violates that trust, it is a betrayal of the oath we take to serve the people who’ve elected us,” wrote Booker in part.
“I call on Senator Menendez to resign. I originally did so last fall because of the severity of the allegations against him and how they shook the public’s trust,” he added. “Now, with this conviction, the urgency for Senator Menendez to step down and for the governor to appoint a replacement has even more urgency.”
Democrat New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said that if Menendez refused to step down, the Senate should expel him.
Many Democrats called for Menendez to resign after he was indicted on the charges. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was especially acidic in his criticism of his congressional colleague.
“This wasn’t politics as usual; this was politics for profit,” said Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Some of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. If Menendez refuses to step down from his Senate seat, he can be expelled with a two-thirds vote of the legislative chamber.
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