Ana Navarro, a co-host of "The View" has some thoughts about the calls for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign. Last Friday, as Townhall covered, Menendez and his wife were indicted for engaging in a "corrupt relationship with three New Jersey associates and businessmen" between 2018 and 2022, according to an unsealed court filing.
As a contributor to the network, Navarro has appeared multiple times on CNN to laud Menendez and lament the possibility of him leaving. On Monday night, when discussing the possibility of a resignation, Navarro emphasized how he "is defiant," which she said is "just his character."
She also brought allegations against Rep. George Santos (R-NY) and former and potentially future President Donald Trump--though she wouldn't even say the latter's name--to question why Menendez would resign.
"And I've got to tell you. I think 99 senators could come out and tell Bob Menendez to resign and he wouldn't budge. Bob Menendez is not going to be shown the door. He's not going to be shoved out," she offered. When he does it, if he if and when he does it, it's because he feels it. And also, listen, there's primary elections in New Jersey in less than a year, in something like eight months. He's up for election next year. If the people of New Jersey want him out, they got a chance to do it."
The following day, as NewsBusters highlighted, Navarro was back on CNN, where she lauded for Menendez for supposedly being "such a champion for the Cuban-American unit and Nicaraguan-American community," lamenting that "losing him is going to be a great--leave us with a great void."
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Navarro did, however, still have some ridiculous takes when the ladies of "The View" discussed the indictment on Monday, as NewsBusters also highlighted. She emphasized her belief that Menendez would not resign and also brought up their personal relationship, lamenting "I'm having a very hard time reconciling the evidence I saw, shown on TV with the Bob Menendez I have known for almost 30 years," adding "this is personally hard for me."
"But, you know, when I saw all the evidence I'm shaken. I'm hoping against hope that there is some sort of logical explanation, but I also know Bob Menendez. I know Bob Menendez is not going to resign. He beat this once, you know, he's thinking, 'I'm, you know, I can fight this. I'm going to fight this.' He's -- I don't think he's going to resign. I think he's going to go to trial on this," she went on to say.
Navarro even likened him Justice Clarence Thomas this time, a particularly ridiculous, given that Thomas has not been indicted on anything.
"I do think that there is a bigger problem here than Bob Menendez. The problem here is Bob Menendez's wife cashing in on his name, or Joe Biden's son cashing in on his name, or Jared Kushner cashing in on that, or, you know, Clarence Thomas--Clarence Thomas was having his mama's house paid for as well by a billionaire," she said, referencing a smear campaign from the left against the conservative justice as a way to call for "some consistency."
Many of Menendez's fellow Democrats have thrown him under the bus, including those from New Jersey, such as Gov. Phil Murphy and, more recently, Sen. Cory Booker.
An associate producer of CNN posted a count of 24 Democratic senators calling on him to resign.
As of tonight least 24 Senate Democrats have called on Senator Bob Menendez to resign -- almost half of the caucus -- including:
— Morgan Rimmer (@morgan_rimmer) September 26, 2023
Baldwin
Fetterman
Brown
Rosen
Tester
Welch
Casey
Heinrich
Booker
Bennet
Warren
Kelly
Markey
Hassan
Klobuchar
Hirono
Gillibrand
(1/2)
Navarro is not the only one who has emphasized Menendez heritage. The senator himself did so in a press conference on Monday, offering "for 30 years I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash...because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba." He took no questions afterwards.
Earlier on Tuesday, CNN's Manu Raju posted that Menendez wouldn't even speak to whether or not he's running for reelection. More noteworthy is Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chairman Gary Peters wouldn't even directly respond to whether they'll support him.
Bob Menendez would not say if he would run for re-election.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 26, 2023
“I’m here to do the work for the people of New Jersey,” Menendez told us
Asked why he wouldn’t resign, he told reporters: “Because I’m innocent. What’s wrong with you guys?”
Didn’t respond to a question on gold bars
Peters added: “We don't even know if he is going to run or not."
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 26, 2023
Earlier on Tuesday "Senate Democrats" was trending over X, in part due to users analyzing the indictment against Menendez and the likelihood he'd resign, as well as any motivations from his colleagues in calling on him to resign or not.
We don't have to guess -- he was indicted when New Jersey had a Republican governor and no Senate Democrats said he should resign.
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) September 26, 2023
Senate Democrats chose to make Bob chairman of Senate Foreign Relations after the Ethics Committee unanimously found he undermined Dominican port security to enrich his crony, putting him in the position to commit his latest alleged crimes. https://t.co/gO0NR7SHh3
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) September 22, 2023
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