Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) isn’t going anywhere. He made that known when he brazenly announced his intention to run for another term as a US Senator in 2024. He predicted he would be exonerated of the corruption charges filed against him. Last week, the Justice Department indicted the New Jersey Democrat, alleging that exorbitant bribes were taken in return to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt.
When federal agents searched the senator’s home, $480,000 in cash was found strewn about the residence, some stuffed into clothing articles. The best part: $100,000 gold bars were located. Menendez’s wife, Nadine, is also included in the indictment, where payments toward his home mortgage and luxury cars were listed as items in the alleged bribery scheme. Unlike the 2015 indictment, where Menendez was also accused of accepting bribes, there’s some damning physical evidence of the payments. The 2015 case ended in a hung jury.
New: Menendez wants to address Dem Caucus, per Sen. Warner. And Dem offices were informed of a special caucus meeting tomorrow. @UrsulaPerano https://t.co/TPrZQw9E80
— Burgess Everett (asapburgessev on 🧵) (@burgessev) September 27, 2023
Gold Bar Bob’s response was what you’d expect from a Democrat in a deep blue state: I’m not resigning, and the charges against me are because everyone is racist. Bob didn’t expect the deluge of Democratic colleagues going on the record, telling him he should resign. At least 29 Democratic Senators have joined that chorus, with top New Jersey Democrats, including Gov. Phil Murphy, telling Mr. Menendez he has to go. The 2024 Senate map isn’t friendly to Democrats—and having a top party member deal with a corruption case isn’t what you want in the headlines.
Menendez requested a super-secret, closed-door meeting with his Democratic colleagues, where he repeated his position of not resigning. There was no clapping, just a deafening silence as his colleagues listened respectfully, according to NBC News:
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Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who faces federal bribery charges, emerged from a meeting Thursday with his fellow Senate Democrats defiant despite calls for his resignation.
"I will continue to cast votes on behalf of the people of New Jersey as I have for 18 years. And I am sure when they need those votes, they’ll be looking for it, for me to catch those votes," Menendez told reporters after the closed-door luncheon.
Menendez's remarks lasted less than 15 minutes and no questions were asked once he finished speaking, according to sources and senators who attended the meeting.
Senators listened respectfully, but there was no applause or response from anyone, one source told NBC News. Democrats appeared to look at one another waiting for someone to ask the first question of him, but no one ever did, another source said.
“He just basically gave a very compassionate speech,” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters, adding that Menendez did not discuss the allegations against him.
Another senator who was in the room told NBC News that Menendez said he would continue to resist calls for his resignation.
“He went through a lot of background of how he—why he felt as strong as he feels,” the senator said.
During the luncheon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had asked that senators serving on the Ethics Committee leave the room, as well as its staff members. Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who are members of the panel, all stepped out of the meeting around 1:30 p.m., according to a source in the room.
I don’t know what the recourse is here. Still, it’s possible Menendez could be cut off from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s 2024 war chest, while other donors might balk at cutting checks to a man whose financial transactions are like that of a Middle Eastern dictator. That’s not to say the stacked deck against him is prohibitive. It’s New Jersey—if voters find his level of corruption tolerable, who knows what happens. If Pennsylvania is willing to elect a man who has barely recovered from a stroke to serve in the US Senate, there are enough Jersey voters ready to send Boss Bob back to DC, for now.
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