Menendez to Resign US Senate Seat
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez has informed his state's governor he intends to resign from office effective Aug. 20 in light of his conviction earlier this month on 16 felony bribery counts....
Facts
- New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez has informed his state's governor he intends to resign from office effective Aug. 20 in light of his conviction earlier this month on 16 felony bribery counts.1
- Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who will pick Menendez's temporary replacement, Tuesday confirmed he received the senator's resignation letter.2
- The 70-year-old Menendez was convicted after prosecutors proved he used his position of power to meddle in three state and federal criminal investigations of his associates. He was also convicted of taking bribes in exchange for actions beneficial to Egypt.3
- Menendez was re-elected twice after initially earning a Senate seat in 2006. He previously was indicted on charges of conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud in 2015, but a mistrial was declared in 2017, and prosecutors dropped the case a year later.4
- Menendez's seat is up this November, with Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw set to face off in the general election. Menendez filed to run as an independent, but it's unknown whether he still intends to compete.5
Sources: 1USA Today, 2ABC News, 3Associated Press, 4FOX News and 5CNN.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by New York Times. There's no room for convicted felons in the Democratic Party. It's about time the party leaders were able to convince Menendez to resign despite the lack of a rule to force him out. With the Senate majority hanging by a thread and Democrats trying to defeat another convicted felon, former Pres. Donald Trump, for the White House, this eliminates what could've been a large distraction.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. Let's face it, Democrats tolerated Menendez's presence — putting national security at risk — for quite a while, considering he was previously accused of similar charges during the Obama administration. That they're finally getting rid of him nearly a decade later is not an accomplishment to be proud of.
