This comes after U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez has rebuffed calls for him to resign.
against Menendez was announced. It alleges Menendez, long the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his wife accepted gold bars, a convertible, and hundreds of thousands in cash, and that Menendez gave “sensitive U.
S. government information” to Egypt, meddled in the appointment of a federal prosecutor, and tried to stop multiple criminal inquiries into his wealthy friends. Menendez has vehemently pushed back against the charges, saying they’re the product of a “smear campaign” against him.in the state to call for Menendez’s resignation, describing the allegations as “serious and alarming.” “It doesn’t matter what your job title is or your politics — no one in America is above the law,” Kim said, adding he doesn’t “have confidence that the Senator has the ability to properly focus on our state and its people while addressing such a significant legal matter.”and several other leading Democratic officials in the state — including several members of Congress and the state Legislature, as well as county party chairs — released statements Friday urging Menendez to step aside. Menendez remained defiant Friday, responding that “those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty.” “I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” the 69-year-old, three-term senator said. “This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat.”If Menendez does indeed run for a fourth term, Kim’s announcement sets the stage for what could be a bitter primary for the Democratic nomination for one of New Jersey’s two seats in the Senate. Republicans haven’t won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since 1972. But Menendez’s indictment creates sudden uncertainty as Democrats hold a razor-thin margin of control in the U.S. Senate and don’t want to risk losing an otherwise safe seat. A Monmouth University poll from last month showed Menendez’s approval numbers among Democrats slipped eight percentage points to 58%, while his disapproval number increased 7 points to 23%,Among all registered voters, his approval rating was 36%. The poll was taken prior to the indictment. This is the second time in seven years Menendez was indicted on corruption charges. That case wound up inbecause the jury was deadlocked. Prosecutors declined to try him again, and Menendez won re-election in 2018. That time, Democratic leaders swiftly stood by the senator. This time, it only took hours for them to drop their backing.
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