Embattled Senator Bob Menendez is facing growing calls to resign from his post following a guilty verdict in the bribery trial against him,
Senators Bob Casey and Jack Rosen, from Pennsylvania and Nevada, respectively, have publicly voiced their intention. "As I said when he was charged, public service is a sacred trust and Senator Menendez has broken that trust," said Casey in a publication on X. "Now that a jury of his peers has found him guilty on all 16 charges, including acting as a foreign agent, Senator Menendez should resign or face expulsion from the Senate."
Rosen, on her end, said: "As I've already called for, I believe he should resign immediately from the U.S. Senate. If he refuses to resign, he should be expelled."
Other Democratic senators who called on Menendez to step down before the verdict are Catherine Cortez Masto, of Nevada; Tim Kaine, of Virginia; Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both of Rhode Island; Tina Smith, of Minnesota.
Menendez is already being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee, which said this week it will complete the probe "promptly." The panel could recommend to expel him, a move that would need the support of at least two thirds of the 100-strong chamber.
15 senators have been expelled in American history, and the last time such decisions took place was in 1862, when a group was voted out due to their support for the Confederates in the Civil War.
Should Menendez leave his post, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, could appoint a successor to finish the rest of his term, which finishes in January. He also called for the senator to resign and supported his expulsion.
Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts against him, including bribery and acting as a foreign agent. He had refused to resign but did step down from his influential post as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He said he would consider running as an independent if acquitted from the charges. He has filed to run even though that has not been the case.
Menendez is set to face New Jersey Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and a Republican shortly after the date scheduled for the sentencing, October 29. However, a poll from April showed that his decades-long standing in local and national politics might not help him retain his seat, garnering little support from the state's electorate.
The survey, conducted by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill, showed Menendez with a meager 9 percent support in the general election, compared to 49 percent for the Democratic candidate and 42 percent for the Republican one. Republicans haven't won a senatorial race in the state since 1972 but could see their chances increase if Menendez's candidacy helps split the Democratic vote.
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