Radical Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has called for Democrat Se. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign after the embattled senator was indicted on multiple corruption charges last week.
Ocasio-Cortez joined several other Democrats in calling on Menendez to resign over his “extremely serious” bribery charges.
As Slay News reported, Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were indicted Friday morning in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) with “bribery offenses in connection with their corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen.”
The indictment alleges that Menendez accepted bribes including a luxury car, mortgage payments, and more than $500,000 in cash.
During searches of his home, investigators found huge sums of cash stuffed into envelopes and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gold bars.
Menendez is also accused of selling government secrets to foreign nationals.
He allegedly provided sensitive U.S. government information to the Government of Egypt.
AOC is among several Democrats who have called on Menendez to resign.
Menendez has already stepped down from his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but refuses to quit the Senate.
“I think the situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe it is in the best interest for Senator Menendez to resign in this moment,” AOC said Sunday on “Face the Nation.”
“As you mentioned, consistency matters.
“It shouldn’t matter whether it is a Republican or Democrat.
“The details in this indictment are extremely serious, they involve the nature of not just his, but all of our seats in Congress, and while, as a Latina, there are absolutely ways in which there is systemic bias, but I think what is here in this indictment is quite clear and I believe it is in the best interest to maintain the integrity of the seat.”
“And I want to emphasize that all people are — they must be extended the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” she continued.
WATCH:
BREAKING: @AOC calls on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign following his indictment on federal bribery charges, "to maintain the integrity of the seat.”
“It shouldn't matter whether it's a Republican or a Democrat. The details in this indictment are extremely serious.” pic.twitter.com/QAe2H0qmJi
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 24, 2023
As Slay News reported earlier, Menendez responded to calls for his resignation by playing the race card.
“It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat,” Menendez said.
“I am not going anywhere.”
NEW: Sen Menendez responds to calls for his resignation w/ new stmt: “It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”
Full statement is here: pic.twitter.com/qkVTXhwoAw
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 22, 2023
Several Democrats have immediately condemned the charges against Menendez and called on him to resign.
New Jersey’s Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy said in a Friday statement that the charges against the senator “implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system.”
NJ Gov. Phil Murphy calls on @SenatorMenendez to resign pic.twitter.com/MJiKmLkHYk
— Gary Grumbach (@GaryGrumbach) September 22, 2023
New Jersey Democratic Party chairman LeRoy Jones, New Jersey Rep. Andy Jim, and several others from the state have united in believing Menendez should step down.
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips told CNN that Menendez should resign and that everyone should be “appalled” by his alleged conduct.
“You should be appalled,” Phillips told CNN “Inside Politics” guest host Manu Raju.
“A member of Congress who appears to have broken the law, is someone who I believe should resign.
“George Santos should have resigned already.
“Sadly, our House ethics process and the Senate as well is not as proficient as it needs to be, so we have to rely on the judicial system.”
READ MORE: ‘Gold Bar Bob’ Menendez Responds to Bribery Indictment Backlash, Blames Racism
