I don't get all the Senator Menendez apologists!?

[RiverStone]

Read how virtually the entire New Jersey Democratic party in mass has suggested Sen Menedez resign for the good of the Dem party!

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/22/new-jersey-democrats-menendez-indictment-00117693

Add AOC to the calls for him to step down.

This is his second time around with being charged, and at the very least having $500,O00 worth of cash stuffed in coat pockets and envelopes looks really bad.

It's incredulous to us how tRump is not already eliminated from politics and ideally in jail for being an autocratic habitually lying sociopath. The criminal cabal that supports him are equally in denial.

Congressman George Santos is no better.

We need to walk our talk as Democrats and maintain our values even if an influential Dem senator gets busted on bribery charges. Yes, he's not convicted yet; but the optics are horrible and he could fix it by being less selfish and get out!

[Recycle_Guru]

1. agree

[Walleye]

2. I don't think he's gonna step down. We need a candidate to primary him, soon

[spooky3]

3. There's already one declared primary opponent and people are urging

A second to jump in.

[Walleye]

4. Is that Andy Kim? I really like him

[spooky3]

5. Yes--see article

https://apnews.com/article/menendez-bribery-senate-corruption-indictment-760ddf686941db61091ca5fd3659f040

Mikey Sherrill may enter too.

[Qutzupalotl]

7. One opponent in this case is probably better than several,

so as not to split the anti-Menendez vote.

[Effete Snob]

6. It's utterly bizarre

There are people who have read the indictment, and people who have not.

[Qutzupalotl]

8. DU is an influential site

despite its informal reputation. We are high on many Google searches on political topics. It stands to reason that a senator in trouble would dispatch staff here to try to help his campaign.

It irks me that he'll probably run again. I hope he gets primaried out.

[edisdead]

9. I honestly don't know the whole story

So my default is let the law play out and see what happens. I lost my senator because people demanded he resign. It pissrd me off. I am not about to demand someone else lose there.

[Silent3]

10. Apologists where?

Maybe I'm not scouring what's posted here on DU thoroughly enough, but I haven't encountered many Menendez defenders here.

There's a thread going with the title, "Senator Menendez should NOT resign!!!!!", but it's sarcastic.

[RiverStone]

17. Here ya go

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democratic-senators-reluctant-join-calls-bob-menendezs-resignation-rcna117075

Bob Menendez was indicted,! tRump same X 4

Silence is not an option!

[brooklynite]

11. What apologists are you thinking of?

[Indykatie]

12. This Post Headline Is Misleading or Disinformation - I've Seen No Apologists So Why Post This?

[RiverStone]

16. Here ya go...

Silence is being compliant

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democratic-senators-reluctant-join-calls-bob-menendezs-resignation-rcna117075

[bigtree]

19. Pres. Biden and the WH, as well?

...of course not.

WH declines to call for Bob Menendez' resignation
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-weighs-in-on-bob-menendez-charges-declines-to-call-for-resignation/ar-AA1hfjKE

[RiverStone]

21. A mistake, IMO

I'm guessing the WHwill change their response in short order.

[bigtree]

23. not calling them 'apologists' though, huh?

...shocked.

[bigtree]

13. maybe it's because you are making this deragatory characterization

...of people who may disagree with you about his proven guilt.

You don't look to want enlightenment, you just appear here to want to denigrate anyone offering a defense.

No one should be bullied away from defending this Democratic senator's right to an assumption of innocence of the charges against him.

[RiverStone]

15. Not trying to be mean, yet we can't give in to false equivalency

Well I'm not sure I would use derogatory to characterize my disagreement, tho we can agree to disagree on that.

My point was that given Senator's Menendez history (believe there was a hung jury), regardless of his eventual guilt or not, the optics are so bad that he should resign.

Sadly, we need to leverage every possible edge we can muster in the upcoming presidential race. We don't need to give the Republican their bullshit false equivalency of Menendez did bad, tRump did bad (treason to overthrow the government) as equal - therefore, so what???

[bigtree]

18. the 'optics' were supposedly bad the last time DOJ tried to prosecute him

...but the actual jury hung on a 10-2 vote for aquittal, causing prosecutors to decline to try him again.

You do what you want, but don't try and sell this to me as some sage political choice. The optics here are provided by prosecutors (and the press), absent any court defense from Menendez (which is certainly viable considering it's just 'conspiracy' of bribery with a less apparent product from Menendez in return.)

The laws which govern legislators' conduct are meant to set guidelines which, if the Senator can prove he followed, represent his adherence to his obligation and responsibility to the Senate.

It's that simple. You can't make the same case against him if he's aquitted, so what is this, really?

[RiverStone]

20. What is this you ask?

It's this!

From NY news:

https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/09/22/bob-menendez-new-jersey-bribery-offenses-justice-department

I think most of us would have a similar reaction to anyone being found with $500,000 cash stuffed into jacket and coat pockets + all the other influences ihe was aligned with (see article).

[bigtree]

22. a news article?

...should be more than charges or accusations causing Democrats to demand a party legislators' resignation.

Especially accusations as obtuse as these, despite all of the salacious pics of cash and gold bars, and the inclusion of foreign others connections meant to spark notions of national betrayal.

No one is an 'apologist' expecting courts to determine guilt, instead of prosecutors who represent a legal process which couldn't connect the dots for jurors with Menendez in the last attempt to convict him.

[marble falls]

14. Neither do I.

[madville]

24. Couldn't care less about him being in the Senate

We have a deep bench, the sooner he's gone the better.