Staff Reports
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has finally jumped aboard the accountability train, calling for Sen. Robert Menendez to resign after a jury found the New Jersey Democrat guilty of accepting bribes and other corruption-related charges. The Democratic drama is in full swing, and Schumer’s sudden bout of moral clarity has arrived fashionably late, as usual.
In simple terms: Schumer was content to let the circus continue when Menendez was merely indicted. Oh sure, there was some toothless talk about Menendez’s alleged actions not measuring up to senatorial standards, but Schumer was all about letting the legal process unfold at a snail’s pace. Now that the trial has wrapped up and a guilty verdict is in the books, Schumer seems to have rediscovered his ethical compass.
Chuck Schumer calls for Bob Menendez to resign from Senate following guilty verdict in corruption trialhttps://t.co/HOK1hQ677C pic.twitter.com/JJPRiCeePy
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 17, 2024
Menendez, clinging to his seat with the tenacity of a barnacle, was already teetering on the edge of the Democratic Party’s mercy. The New Jersey Senator had been cast out and is running for re-election this November as an independent. Without the Democratic Party’s machine behind him, and now burdened with a criminal conviction, Menendez’s chances of survival in the upcoming race are roughly equivalent to a snowball’s in a microwave.
New Jersey’s Rep. Andy Kim, who had no problem muscling Menendez out of the party’s nomination slot, reiterated his early calls for the Senator to resign. Kim insisted that the people of New Jersey deserve better—quite the understatement. Gov. Phil Murphy echoed Kim’s sentiment, adding that if Menendez doesn’t step down, the Senate should take the dramatic step of expelling him. Yes, the party of tolerance and diversity wants to make an example, just this once.
The conviction included a staggering list of offenses: bribery, extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and working as a foreign agent for Egypt. During the trial, prosecutors presented some Hollywood-level allegations of Menendez abusing his power to shield allies from criminal probes while padding his and his wife’s coffers with gold bars and stacks of cash. Menendez’s legal team tried to pass the buck to his wife, blaming her for possession of the glittering gold. Nadine Menendez, dealing with her own legal woes, has had her trial postponed for health reasons.
In the meantime, Menendez had to temporarily vacate his position as Foreign Relations Committee chair following his indictment. Democratic rules mandate that he now permanently relinquishes the gavel. Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, acting as the stand-in chair, is expected to lead until his planned retirement. Next in line is Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, ready to step into the drama if needed.
It’s a gripping political soap opera, allowing Americans to witness the ongoing spectacle of Democratic “integrity” in action.
