1 year ago
Sen. Cory Booker on Tuesday called for his New Jersey counterpart and friend, Sen. Bob Menendez, to resign, four days after Menendez was indicted for allegedly accepting bribes.
“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,” Booker said in a statement.
Booker is the latest in a growing group of federal lawmakers pushing for Menendez to step down, but he is to this point the most significant voice to speak up. He has been close to Menendez since joining the Senate a decade ago and testified in his favor at his corruption trial in 2017, which ended in a hung jury.
Booker's call may also clear the way for other senators to join his call and reach a critical mass of pressure on Menendez, who is up for reelection next year, to leave public office.
Menendez, a fellow Democrat from New Jersey, and his wife were indicted on Friday for allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, gold bars, and mortgage payments as bribes. The bribes were allegedly used to influence his position as the chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to benefit the government of Egypt.
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