Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) declined to call on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to resign after he was indicted on federal corruption and bribery charges.
Anchor Dana Bash said, “Senator Bob Menendez is due in federal court on Wednesday on bribery and corruption charges, including allegations that he received gold bars, a luxury car, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, and he gave sensitive government information to Egypt. He is denying these charges, I should say. But many Democratic members and officials in New Jersey are saying that he should resign. Do you?”
Durbin said, “This is a very serious charge. There’s no question about it. But it bears reminding us of what I’ve said about the indictments against Donald Trump, equally serious charges. These are, in fact, indictments that have to be proven. Under the rule of law, a person who is accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence. And it’s the responsibility of the government to prove that case.”
He continued, “I said that about Donald Trump. I’ll say the same thing about Bob Menendez. But the Senate Democratic caucus has a hard and fast rule. When indicted, you lose your position in leadership or chairmanship of a committee. That is what has happened with Senator Menendez. He lost the chairmanship of one of our most important committees, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In terms of resignation, that’s a decision to be made by Senator Menendez and the people of New Jersey.”
Durbin added, “These are charges that have to be proven, and there is a presumption of innocence. How far it goes in terms of his future service is something to be decided by the senator and the people of New Jersey.”
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