Staff Reports
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who was indicted, is back in court for his criminal trial in New York, this time in Manhattan. According to the trial, he took bribes, participated in governmental corruption, and served as a foreign agent. Menendez has declared that he will not step down from his role as a senator in spite of the accusations made against him. The main focus of the trial, which is anticipated to continue on for several months, is his purported cooperation with the governments of Qatar and Egypt as well as his receipt of expensive presents from businesses, including gold bars.
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Menendez, a 70-year-old senator, may be allowed to stay in office and even run for reelection in November if found guilty. According to a 2015 analysis by the independent Congressional Research Service, members of Congress do not instantly lose their jobs upon being found guilty of a felony. With a two-thirds majority vote, he may be kicked out of his peers, though. The report states that, except from the Fourteenth Amendment's prohibition on some treasonous behavior committed after taking an oath of office, there is no explicit constitutional disqualification from Congress for a criminal conviction.
With the exception of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the majority of Senate Democrats have encouraged Menendez to step down. Due of the accusations, he lost his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he has stated that he will only run for reelection as a "independent Democrat" if he is found not guilty. 16 felony counts, including bribery, extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, and operating as a foreign agent, are presently being pursued against Menendez.
Gov. Phil Murphy would designate Menendez's replacement to hold the position until the conclusion of his term if he were to resign or be expelled from the Senate. Menendez has prior experience with corruption accusations; in 2015, he was the subject of comparable charges that left the jury deadlocked. In 2017, the federal prosecutors decided against retrying the case.
