Fellow New Jersey Democrat Sen. Cory Booker and long-time Sen. Bob Casey from Pennsylvania are calling on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign after the New Jersey senator and his wife were indicted by a grand jury on federal bribery charges.
Sen. Bob Casey and Sen. Corey Booker have joined fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman in calling on Menendez to leave office.
Casey released a Tuesday statement saying in part:
“Public service is a sacred trust. The specific allegations set forth in the federal indictment indicate to me that Senator Menendez violated that trust repeatedly. While he is entitled to the presumption of innocence, serving in public office is a privilege that demands a higher standard of conduct. Senator Menendez should resign.”
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Booker also released a statement Tuesday saying in part:
“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.”
Fetterman was the first Democratic U.S. senator to call on Menendez to resign when he did so last week.
Additionally, other Democrats including Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Peter Welch of Vermont; Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; and Jon Tester of Montana have called on Menendez to step down.
On Monday, the senior senator from New Jersey -- who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2006 -- said he will be exonerated and has no plans to resign.
"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," Menendez said at his Monday news conference.
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