New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy calls for Menendez to resign

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has added to calls from Democrats for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to resign after the senator and his wife were indicted on federal bribery charges Friday.

“The allegations in the indictment against Senator Menendez and four other defendants are deeply disturbing. These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system,” Murphy said in a statement. 

The governor added that Menendez is entitled to defend himself through the legal process.

“However, the alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation,” he said.

Prosecutors allege that Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian, accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to help a group of New Jersey businessmen and interests in Egypt.

The FBI found nearly $500,000 in cash and over $100,000 in gold in the senator’s home last year during a raid, allegedly bribes given to Menendez and his wife by the businessmen.

Menendez has denied the charges, calling them a “smear campaign.” He was previously investigated and charged in a separate bribery probe in 2015, but that case was dropped after the trial ended in a hung jury.

If Menendez chooses to resign from his seat, Murphy would appoint a new senator to finish his current term, which expires in January 2025.

The senator stepped down from his seat as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee later Friday.

The list of Democrats calling for his resignation quickly piled up after the news broke on Friday. Reps. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) was followed by New Jersey Reps. Andy Kim and Mikie Sherrill, both Democrats.