BREAKING: Warnock calls for Menendez to resign
Menendez faces pressure to step down amid bribery charges
Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia is joining several of his colleagues in demanding the resignation of a New Jersey Senator who is facing bribery charges.
Warnock said in a statement Tuesday that U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who was indicted last Friday by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, should “step aside and resign” in the wake of the charges. The two serve together on the Banking Committee.
Warnock’s full statement reads:
“The covenant we have with the American people is sacred, and ensuring the public has faith that those of us elected to serve are working for them and not other interests is paramount. Senator Menendez has every right to make his case in our courts, but for the good of public trust in our institutions and our democracy, he should step aside and resign.”
Warnock joins a growing list of Senate Democrats in demanding Menendez’s resignation. The Senator and his wife are accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and luxurious gifts in exchange for political influence.
Prosecutors also allege that Menendez, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, used his influence to provide sensitive information to Egypt’s authoritarian government. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all three counts.
Sen. Menendez, who is no stranger to corruption charges, has denied any wrongdoing and has promised to fight these new charges. But it’s clear that his caucus is eager to turn the page: Warnock is now one of roughly a dozen Senate Democrats calling for him to step down. His junior colleague, fellow New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, has also called for his resignation.
Georgia’s other U.S. Senator, Democrat Jon Ossoff, has yet to weigh in on the case.
Click here to read the full indictment against Menendez.
UPDATE: Sen. Ossoff has called on Sen. Menendez to resign. (Thursday, 7:49PM EDT)