On Thursday, Sen. Bob Menendez was charged with additional charges in addition to the one that was filed against him last week. The Justice Department has now charged the lawmaker, along with his wife, for conspiring to act as an agent of the Egyptian government and not registering for that role.
John Fetterman, a senator from Pennsylvania (D), has called for Menendez’s expulsion from the Senate upper chamber due to the allegations.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA, called on Thursday for the Senate to expel Senator Bob Menendez, D-NJ. Menendez was recently charged with federal charges accusing him of being a foreign agent.
In a statement issued after the superseding federal bribery indictment on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Democrat made his call to resign Menendez. He was the first senator who called for Menendez to resign after he and his wife were indicted. New Jersey Senator is accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by working for the Egyptian government without registering.
“Senator Menendez shouldn’t be a U.S. Senator. “He should have gone long ago,” Fetterman said in his statement. “It’s time that all of my Senate colleagues join me to expel Senator Menendez. We can’t have an alleged agent of a foreign country in the United States Senate. It’s not close.
Menendez, in a written response, denied the accusations, saying they were part of an “anti-Menendez smear campaign”. He said that he has been loyal to the United States of America all his life.
The senator and his wife have already been accused of accepting bribes, including from three businessmen. One of them works for the Egyptian government. He is accused of using influence to help Egypt in exchange for cash, gold bars, and gifts, such as a Mercedes. Republicans and Democrats have asked Menendez to step down, but he refused.
Fetterman is leading the effort to remove Menendez from office. He was the one who first called for the resignation of the New Jersey Senator. He is now urging his fellow colleagues to support this expulsion.
Last month, Sen. Fetterman joked that he would return to Menendez all donations made to his campaign, in envelopes filled with cash. This was a reference to the fact law enforcement agents found envelopes full of alleged bribes money at Menendez’s home.
At the moment, Fetterman has a pretty good chance of succeeding in his bid to expel Menendez from the upper chamber. More than half the Senate has called for him to resign, but no other senators have expressed support for removing him by force.
Around 20 Senate Democrats including Senator Chuck Schumer (DNY) believe Menendez should have the chance to defend himself. It does not seem likely at this time that any attempt to expel New Jersey’s lawmaker will gain traction. If the prosecution proves their case, expulsion may not be needed.
