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Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) has publicly urged the Senate to consider the expulsion of Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), stating that the allegations against Menendez are “more sinister” than those faced by recently expelled House member Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
During an interview on ABC’s “The View,” Fetterman emphasized the gravity of the charges against Menendez, comparing them to Santos’s actions. “We have a colleague in the Senate that actually does much more sinister and serious kinds of things: Sen. Menendez. He needs to go. And if you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate?” Fetterman said.
Senator Menendez, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, faces charges from federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Manhattan, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud, extortion, and acting as a foreign agent.
Fetterman contrasted Santos’s alleged lies, which he described as almost humorous, with the more severe accusations against Menendez. “Whereas, I think Menendez, I think is really a senator for Egypt, not New Jersey. So, I really think he needs to go,” Fetterman added.
Despite Fetterman’s call and the stance of over half the Senate Democratic caucus for Menendez’s resignation, many senators, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), have expressed the need for due process, such as a criminal trial or a Senate Ethics Committee investigation, before proceeding with an expulsion vote. The Senate Ethics Committee typically refrains from investigating a senator during an ongoing criminal prosecution.
Meanwhile, Menendez has remained firm in his position, defending his innocence and criticizing the government’s approach. “The government is engaged in primitive hunting by which the predator chases its prey until it’s exhausted and then kills it. This tactic won’t work. I have done nothing wrong and once all the facts are presented will be found innocent,” he declared.
