After Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey was indicted on federal bribery charges, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York became the newest Democratic politician to demand that he step down. She said that Menendez should do so due to the “extremely serious” allegations.
On “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I think the situation is pretty tragic, but I do believe that it is in the best interest for Sen. Menendez to leave at this moment. “Repeatability is important. Republican or Democrat affiliation shouldn’t matter. There are some really significant allegations in this indictment. They have to do with how all of our congressional seats—not just his—are structured.
Menendez, his wife, and three business partners from New Jersey were accused of a number of offenses in connection with an alleged bribery conspiracy in an indictment that was released on Friday. According to the prosecution, Menendez received expensive gifts and hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for the senator using his power to help the businesses and the Egyptian government.
After the indictment was made public, Menendez, a Democrat who has held a Senate seat since 2006, vehemently defended himself, claiming the “baseless” accusations were a result of an “active smear campaign of unidentified sources and innuendos that created an air of impropriety when none exists.”
As the legal process progresses, a number of Democratic senators and New Jersey authorities, including Governor Phil Murphy, have called for Menendez to resign. Menendez flatly refused those requests, declaring that he “is not going anywhere.” “Not lost on me,” he continued, “is how quickly some people rush to judge a Latino & push him out of his seat.”
When questioned about those remarks on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez said that the information in the indictment was so damaging as to require his resignation.
As a Latina, there are undoubtedly ways that systematic bias exists, but I believe that what is said in this indictment is pretty apparent. Additionally, I think that protecting the seat’s integrity is best. I want to underline that everyone deserves to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. She explained on “Face the Nation” that this was the legal truth in our nation. But I do think it is ideal when it comes to the political plus the standard of decency that we want to uphold for the public in the US Congress.