More than two dozen Senate Democrats have called on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign from office since he was indicted on federal bribery and corruption charges last week.
I expect no change.
But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has signaled from the start that he wouldn’t necessarily push for the now-twice indicted senator’s resignation.
I guess corruption is not as severe a crime as potentially acting with impropriety.
Last week, Schumer announced that Menendez had “rightly decided” to step away from his committee chairmanship.
Ah, he had to step-down from that committee per the committee rules.
I’m not sure that “no change” is going to be the outcome. Let’s see what kind of “justifications” Gold-Bar Bob comes up with when he goes before the caucus and has to answer their questions behind closed doors. I can conceive of the entire caucus, having heard him out and cross-examined him, unanimously abandons him and tells him that it’s time to go.
Of course, they might just as well huff and puff and do nothing. I’ve written to both my senators (Kaine and Warner) telling them that they must call for Menendez to resign–but no response from either of these squishy “institutionalists.”
Over at The American Prospect, Robert Kuttner gives a persuasive case for applying the Spiro Agnew precedent for getting Menendez to resign from the Senate in exchange for immunity from prison (though not from a hefty fine and probation). I wouldn’t be surprised if something along this line isn’t already being officially discussed, and perhaps negotiated.
Agnew was first in line to replace Nixon at a time when everyone knew Nixon’s presidency was under threat. That would have made one of the most corrupt politicians in the country the leader of the free world – a very, very substantial incentive to trade criminal leniency for GTFO. DOJ might be willing to cut Menendez a little bit of a break if he’ll agree to resign, but he’s not holding a Get Out of Jail Free card.
Menendez isn’t quite in Randy “Duke” Cunningham territory, but he’s approaching it. Duke got 8+ years on his plea deal
Selling secrets to the Egyptians sounds kinda unpatriotic. Does AIPAC approve of that?
There oughtta be a rule that limits how many wads of cash and gold bars and sundry jewels an elected official or high ranking government employee can have in their sumptuous DC digs.
There oughta be!
“And how is the ‘Duke’ doing,” you wonder?
The 81-year-old is quietly golfing his life away in a gated community in Hot Springs, Arkansas, while collecting his pensions from the Navy (21 years) and Congress (14 years).
Sadly, still no word on when he will begin person presentations the eponymous Golden Duke awards issued by Talking Points Memo.
Hmm … does TPM still award those?
Good thing nothing like that ever happened. Oh, wait, he’s not a politician.
They skipped the Dukes in '21, but they were back for '22. Menendez has got to be a heavy favorite for Best Scandal – General Interest.
Rachel Maddow has a fascinating podcast on Spiro Agnew.
And sold the movie rights to Hollywood. Ben Stiller was supposed to direct, but IMDB just lists it as “In Production,” no cast or anything.
I remember them skipping them. I kind of assumed they were dead in the water anymore due to an overwhelming plethora of potential candidates; the judges are buried in an avalanche of corrupt assholes.
Agnew also was a de facto beta test for Trump, with incorrigible racism (calling Polish-Americans “Pollacks” and a Japanese-American reporter a “fat Jap”), personal attacks on DOJ employees, serial lying, pitting rural Southerners against city dwellers (“When you’ve seen one slum, you’ve seen them all”), and implicitly anti-Semitic rants about the press.
I shudder to think of the petty, vindictive revenge Agnew would’ve pursued, had he inherited the presidency from Nixon.
If Trump isn’t truly sui generis, then Agnew was the stuffing-pockets-with-cash Id from which he was molded.
Schumer did what a leader should. Take the temperature of his caucus and let them decide after hearing from Melendez. Since so many are the record already the others collective tuchuses are covered.
Expulsion of Menendez will require a 2/3 vote. That is the 50 caucusing with the Democrats (not including Menendez of course) plus 17 Republicans. Tom Cotton has already told Menendez not to resign. How many other Republicans will play the cynical political game that Cotton is playing? Unless there is 2/3 vote in the bag Schumer will look weak calling for a resignation which Menendez will reject knowing he can’t be expelled.
I think a bunch of Senators have said to Menendez, You get to speak to the caucus and make any public statements before I call on you to resign. But that’s coming, if needed.
No–Schumer and the entire Dem caucus should get together behind a push to expel Gold Bar Bob, put it to a vote, and see how many Republicans join. If there aren’t enough Republicans to bring the total up to 2/3, then Menendez’s continued disgracing of the Senate by his presence is on the Republicans. Why should Schumer and the Dem caucus look weak?