Most Democratic senators are calling for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign in the wake of his bribery indictment
- Sen. Bob Menendez has been indicted on bribery charges and is so far refusing to resign.
- But more and more of his Senate colleagues say it's time for the New Jersey Democrat to go.
Despite facing bribery charges from federal prosecutors, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has so far refused to resign.
As he's defended himself from the charges, he's argued that he's being targeted for being a "first-generation Latino American, and on Monday told reporters that the cash that federal agents found strewn around his home actually came from his own bank account.
Menendez is now facing calls for his resignation from Democrats in his home state, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and most of the state's US House delegation. Rep. Andy Kim has even launched a primary challenge against Menendez.
While many called for Menendez to step aside, plenty of his Senate colleagues have remained silent, or taken a wait-and-see approach, so far.
But on Tuesday, the dam began to break — and now most of the Senate Democratic caucus is calling for him to go.
As of Friday, 31 of Menendez's colleagues have called for his resignation, even as they stressed that he remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the first senator to call for Menendez to go, even plans to return a $5,000 donation that the New Jersey Democrat made to his campaign "in envelopes stuffed with $100 bills," according to a spokesman.
How Menendez's colleagues react to the news could play a key role in whether Menendez is able to remain in the Senate, as was the case when a slew of female senators called for former Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota to resign amid groping allegations in 2018.
Here are all 31 senators who've publicly called on Menendez to resign:
- Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
- Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont
- Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio
- Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana
- Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania
- Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada
- Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico
- Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
- Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
- Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado
- Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
- Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii
- Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts
- Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
- Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia
- Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan
- Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
- Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut
- Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut
- Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
- Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado
- Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia
- Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
- Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois
- Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland
- Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington
- Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington
- Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware
No Republican senators have called for Menendez to resign yet.
This story will be updated as more senators call for Menendez's resignation.