Sen. Bob Menendez hit with obstruction of justice charges in bribery case
NBCFeb 28
Sen. Menendez Pleads Not Guilty to Obstruction of Justice Charges
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The Facts
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) made his third appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday to plead not guilty to charges in connection with a federal investigation into bribery allegations.
This comes as the Democratic senator and his wife, Nadine, as well as New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were arraigned on a superseding indictment that added obstruction of justice charges to existing criminal counts.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
While Democrats do have a strong message against MAGA anti-democratic extremism in the run-up to the November elections, they can undermine that if a liability such as Sen. Menendez remains in their ranks. It's utterly contradictory that the party that stands for the rule of law in the US still accepts a sitting senator under federal indictment on bribery allegations. The party has a chance to do the right thing.
Republican narrative
Set aside the fact that Democrats control the Senate, Republicans should do much more to expel the corrupt Menendez — particularly when compared to the GOP push to oust George Santos from the House. The GOP must take the bull by the horns and firmly expel Menendez from Congress and take a stand against corruption from the Democratic Party, which is barely hanging onto Senate control and knows it.
