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After Sen. Bob Menendez was first indicted last September, the New Jersey Democrat’s colleagues paused before calling for his ouster, waiting to see what the lawmaker would have to say about the allegations. Menendez initially responded by suggesting that racism had something to do with the prosecution.
It was at that point when a variety of unpersuaded Democratic officials, including his home state’s governor, called for the senator’s resignation. In fact, the more he struggled to present much of a public defense, the more support Menendez lost.
Four months later, as NBC News reported, he’s still trying.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., on Tuesday denied new bribery allegations against him involving Qatar and pushed back on calls from his Senate colleagues to resign in remarks on the chamber floor. ... Menendez vehemently denied the new allegations in an almost 20-minute speech on the Senate floor in which he maintained his innocence and urged his colleagues not to rush to judgment before he has the opportunity to explain himself in court.
For those who might benefit from a refresher, let’s revisit our earlier coverage and review how we arrived at this point.
It was in late September when federal prosecutors first indicted Menendez, alleging that the New Jersey Democrat received “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes and used his influence to benefit, among others, the Egyptian government.
Though the senator has denied any wrongdoing, and he pleaded not guilty in court, it was difficult to deny the seriousness of the allegations. According to the Justice Department, Menendez received, among other things, cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low- or no-show job, and a luxury vehicle.
Roughly three weeks later, the senator was indicted again, and those charges accused him of providing sensitive information to the Egyptian government in exchange for bribes. What’s more, prosecutors alleged that Menendez acted as a foreign agent while serving as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
That was in October. Last week, the incumbent lawmaker learned that he’s facing another round of criminal allegations, with prosecutors claiming he took improper actions in support of Qatar as recently as 2021 and 2022.
“This is an unprecedented accusation, and it has never, ever been levied against a sitting member of Congress — never — and for good reason,” Menendez said during his remarks on the Senate floor. “It opens a dangerous door for the Justice Department to take the normal engagement of members of Congress with foreign governments and to transform those engagements into a charge of being a foreign agent for that government. I want to address the accusations as they relate to me, but I don’t want you to lose sight of how dangerous this precedent will be to all of you.”
It’s possible that senators will find this persuasive, but since most of them probably don’t keep $480,000 in cash in their homes, I have a hunch they’re not too worried about federal prosecutors showing up at their door.
As for the lingering political questions, they remain unchanged.
1. Will additional senators call for his resignation? According to the latest tally from NBC News, 31 current senators — all Democrats — have called on Menendez to give up his seat. As the criminal charges mount, and the Garden State senator scrambles, the pressure will grow on other Senate members to add their names to the list.
2. Will additional senators call for his expulsion? In October, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman became the first sitting senator to raise the prospect of expelling Menendez. “We cannot have an alleged foreign agent in the United States Senate,” the Pennsylvanian said in a statement. “This is not a close call.” Since then, how many other senators have come to the same conclusion? Literally none. The latest charges offer members a fresh opportunity to consider the issue.
3. Will Menendez give up on his re-election campaign? It might seem absurd, but as things stand, the incumbent senator is officially running for a fourth term in the fall. His odds of success are almost comically low — the Democrat’s approval rating was just 8% in one recent poll — leading to speculation that he’ll soon bow out and save himself the embarrassment of failing in an upcoming primary.
Watch this space.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.