Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has renewed calls for his fellow Democrat senator, “Gold Bar Bob” Menendez (D-NJ), to be expelled from the U.S. Senate.
The calls come after new bribery charges emerged alleging that Menendez high-value accepted gifts in exchange for aiding Qatar.
In a new federal indictment, prosecutors accused the New Jersey Democrat of accepting free race car tickets, luxury watches, and other expensive gifts from the Gulf nation.
He accepted the bribes even as he chaired, and served as the top Democrat, on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The wristwatches allegedly offered to Menendez were valued between $10,000 and $24,000, according to the indictment.
“Now, accused of selling his honor and our nation for a $24,000 watch,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X.
“Accused as a foreign agent for *two* nations.
“How much more before we finally expel [Sen. Menendez]?”
Now, accused of selling his honor and our nation for a $24,000 watch.
Accused as a foreign agent for *two* nations.
How much more before we finally expel @SenatorMenendez ? https://t.co/NRrWyye9fj
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) January 3, 2024
Fetterman initially called on Menendez to resign in September after the first indictment and repeated those calls again last month, as Slay News reported at the time.
“Senator Menendez should resign,” Fetterman said in a statement in September.
“He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence under our system, but he is not entitled to continue to wield influence over national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations.
“I hope he chooses an honorable exit and focuses on his trial.”
Then, in December, he stepped up his rhetoric against Menendez and called for his expulsion after Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was expelled from the House.
Federal officials indicted Santos on 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud, and other charges.
“But to me, I think the more important picture is that we have a colleague in the Senate that has actually did more sinister and serious kinds of things,” Fetterman told hosts on ABC’s “The View.”
“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?
“And you know, Santos’ lies were almost funny, and like he, you know, landed on the moon,” he said.
“That kinda stuff. Whereas, you know, Menendez I think is really a senator for Egypt, not New Jersey.”
Bobby Gold Bars is punishing competent and outstanding public servants to distract from his impending penal career move. @SenatorMenendez retract your petty hold, then RESIGN as the perfect Christmas present for the people of NJ and the U.S. Senate. 🎄🎁 https://t.co/TdSURsk5mF
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) December 22, 2023
According to a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday, Menendez is now accused of accepting bribes and gifts in exchange for helping to benefit Qatar as part of a years-long corruption scheme from 2021 through 2023, one year longer than originally thought, the Justice Department said.
His attorney, Adam Fee, said the new allegations “stink of desperation.”
“Despite what they’ve touted in press releases, the government does not have the proof to back up any of the old or new allegations against Senator Menendez,” Fee said.
“What they have instead is a string of baseless assumptions and bizarre conjectures based on routine, lawful contacts between a senator and his constituents or foreign officials.
“They are turning this into a persecution, not a prosecution.”
He added that the senator acted appropriately concerning Qatar, Egypt, and other countries he interacts with.
Menendez is already facing federal charges for allegedly acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his power and influence as a senator.
Raids on his home and office uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in stashes of cash and gold bars that Menendez had allegedly received as bribes.
