Robert Menendez's Corruption Trial Looms For Senate Democrats

Robert Menendez’s Corruption Trial Looms For Senate Democrats

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) goes on trial next month over corruption charges, and Democrats are already dreading his potential conviction. As the New York Times lays out, if Senator Menendez is convicted and expelled from the Senate, his replacement will be a Republican. The political consequences of Senator Menendez’s potential conviction have led some Democrats […]

August 18, 2017

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) goes on trial next month over corruption charges, and Democrats are already dreading his potential conviction. As the New York Times lays out, if Senator Menendez is convicted and expelled from the Senate, his replacement will be a Republican.

The political consequences of Senator Menendez’s potential conviction have led some Democrats to defend having a felon serving in the United States Senate. One Democrat, former DNC official Brad Woodhouse, even said resigning after a felony conviction would be a “knee-jerk reaction”:

“’I don’t think Menendez has to run out and resign if he’s convicted,’ said Brad Woodhouse, a political strategist and former spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, calling that a ‘knee-jerk reaction.’”

Democrats’ delusion over Senator Menendez’s predicament is also apparent given that they also planning for his 2018 campaign. Even with Menendez’s looming corruption trial, his political advisers are still focused on raising money for his re-election campaign next year:

“Michael Soliman, a political adviser to Mr. Menendez, said the senator focused on raising money for his re-election instead because ‘he had raised enough in his legal defense fund to cover his legal bills.’ Re-election cash must be raised in smaller increments, he said, ‘You can’t do it overnight.’ Mr. Soliman said Mr. Menendez plans to run for re-election ‘regardless of what comes out at trial.’”

Speculation is rampant that Senator Menendez’s co-defendant, already convicted in an earlier trial, will soon flip on the Senator. Democrats who stand by Senator Menendez and stay silent over his unethical acts, will have to answer for it by voters disgusted with Washington corruption.