Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) didn’t want to answer this question about Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), probably because it ties into the legal fiasco engulfing the New Jersey Democrat. Menendez was the chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, though he was forced to step down when indicted on bribery charges last September. He was also charged with acting as a foreign agent, so it would be unseemly if he were to show up for a classified briefing about Ukraine this afternoon.
CNN’s Manu Raju asked Schumer, who deflected, saying that the reporter must ask Mr. Menendez himself. When the briefing concluded, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), the new chair of Senate Foreign Relations, said that Menendez was not in attendance. Schumer repeated his original line: you’ll have to ask him:
Asked Chuck Schumer if it’s appropriate for Bob Menendez — accused of assisting a foreign government — to attend today’s classified Ukraine briefing.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 5, 2023
“He has the right to do it as a senator. You’ll have to ask him,” Schumer said
Many senators from both parties left today's classified briefing and say that did not see indicted Sen. Bob Menendez in attendance.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 5, 2023
"No," Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Ben Cardin said when asked if he saw Menendez there. "I did not."
Schumer: “You'll have to ask him.”
So, was he there or not? Granted, since the Trump presidency, the Democrats’ penchant for hypocrisy has been hall-of-fame-worthy. Given his defiant response to the charges, it wouldn’t shock me if he was there. The foreign agent charges were handed down in late October, but I would guess that Menendez’s lawyers told him to keep a low profile and not do anything that could further inflame the situation. Being charged as a foreign agent and attending classified briefings would undoubtedly come up at trial.
As for Schumer and the rest of the Senate Democratic caucus, they wish for Menendez to resign, ridding themselves of a potential 2024 election thorn in a cycle that’s not at all friendly to Senate Democrats. Gold Bar Bob’s alleged felonious activity is a narrative no Democrats wants to be near next year, but Bob is refusing to resign.