Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on fellow Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez (NJ) to resign following his conviction on all sixteen felony corruption charges he faced.
Schumer did not indicate that he would move to expel Menendez, who is now a convicted felon after a nine-week trial in which the jury found him guilty of accepting bribes of cash, gold, and a luxury car from three businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.
“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer posted on X within the hour of Menendez’s verdict.However, Menendez, who is running to retain his seat as an independent after facing an uphill battle to win the Democrat primary, is unlikely to resign.
In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2024
Senate Democrats enjoy a slim majority with 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans. Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) would assuredly appoint a Democrat should Menendez resign or the Senate expel him.
In the event of a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris, herself a former Senator, can cast the deciding vote. She has cast more votes as vice president than any other serving in that position.
Menendez stepped down from his role as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his indictment. He has insisted his crimes were simply actions taken in his role as chairman, as well as insisting the gold bars found by federal investigators belonged to his wife.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
