Senator Menendez, Resign Now

Star-Ledger, New York Times say it's time to go
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 2, 2015 4:59 PM CDT
Senator Menendez, Resign Now
Robert Menendez, D-NJ.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Sen. Bob Menendez vows to fight the corruption charges on which he was indicted yesterday, but two leading papers around the New Jersey Democrat's home turf have another suggestion: Resign immediately.

  • New Jersey Star-Ledger: Yes, innocent until proven guilty means something, but the bar is higher for senators. At the very least, Menendez's ties to donor Salomon Melgen show terrible judgment, even if he is eventually cleared of criminal charges. "Why would he even dance close to this line?" New Jersey needs a senator focused on New Jersey, "not a tarnished defendant who spends his days fending off credible charges of corruption and raising money for his legal defense." He should step down and fight this "battle on his own time."

  • New York Times: Menendez says he's outraged at the indictment, but anyone who reads it will be outraged at Menendez. "It meticulously documents a brazen pattern of gifts and favors exchanged" by the senator and Melgen. Given the sheer breadth of the allegations, how could Menendez possibly have the time to fight them and still serve as senator? "He would be doing a disservice to New Jersey by clinging to power as a disgraced politician. His colleagues in the Senate should demand that he step aside."
(More Bob Menendez stories.)

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