Under normal circumstances, news of a Democratic member of Congress being indicted on federal corruption charges would have their Republican counterparts climbing over each other to be the first to call for resignation, but the specter of Donald Trump is causing Republicans to hold their fire when it comes to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), according to a report.
With the New Jersey Democrat and his wife on the receiving end of additional Department of Justice charges this week, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has led the charge for calling for the New Jersey Democrat's resignation or expulsion –while Republicans have been relatively silent on the subject.
According to Fetterman, "Senator Menendez should not be a U.S. Senator. He should have been gone long ago. It is time for every one of my colleagues in the Senate to join me in expelling Senator Menendez."
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However, as MSNBC political analyst Steve Benen wrote, Republicans are in no hurry to oust Menendez and actually would like him to hang around for multiple reasons, including providing cover for Donald Trump who is also under federal indictment.
As Benen wrote, when it comes to international affairs, Menendez is far to the right of his Democratic colleagues which makes him more appealing than the inevitable Democrat who might take his seat in the Senate.
Add to that, having a Democrat facing serious federal corruption charges hands Republicans a sure-fire weapon to use against their opponents in the 2024 election.
More importantly, Benen wrote, calling for Menendez's ouster because he is unfit to hold office because he is under federal indictment is complicated by Donald Trump's similar -- and much more extensive -- legal problems.
"If Republicans were to agree that the criminal allegations surrounding Menendez leave him unfit for office, it would almost certainly mean that Donald Trump is equally unsuitable for positions of public trust," he predicted.
On that note, he elaborated, "For most Democrats, there’s no inconsistency to reconcile: They’re comfortable saying Trump has disqualified himself and showing Menendez the door. But for the GOP, it’s apparently easier to stay silent on Menendez than try to explain why the senator should resign but the suspected felon/Republican frontrunner should return to the White House."
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