Gov. Murphy, top NJ Democrats call for Menendez to resign after bombshell indictment

New Jersey's top Democrats, including Gov. Phil Murphy, are calling on indicted Sen. Robert Menendez to resign in the wake of blistering allegations that he accepted bribes and used his position to influence international trade and U.S. foreign policy on behalf of his associates.

The language in statements from several top Democrats, all issued late Friday afternoon, is similar: They describe the allegations as troubling. They note Menendez is entitled to defend himself against them. And they say he should step down while the legal process plays out.

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

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said the charges — which accuse Menendez of taking bribes in exchange for favors, including helping Egypt pursue an arms deal and aid from the United States — “go against everything we should believe as public servants.”

He said Menendez should immediately step down “and allow New Jersey, and America, to move forward."

“We are given the public's trust, and once that trust is broken, we cannot continue,” Coughlin said.

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Menendez indictment: What to know

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• It’s the second time Menendez has faced a bribery indictment. He was charged in 2015 with trading political favors for perks, but the trial ended in a hung jury.
• Prosecutors say Menendez and his wife took gold bars, a luxury vehicle, $480,000 in cash and financial favors. Menendez denies the allegations.
• He’s accused of abusing his influence on the Senate Foreign Relations commission to help Egypt, even ghost-writing a letter from Egypt officials to get U.S. aid.
• The indictment says Egypt gave one of the businessmen a lucrative Halal meat contract that helped fund the bribes.
• When news of the investigation first broke, NJ’s powerful Democrats lined up to sing his praises.
• Menendez is up for reelection in 2024.

State Senate President Nicholas Scutari called Friday “a sad day for our state,” and he said the allegations call into question Menendez’s ability to serve. Like Coughlin, he said Menendez stepping down while pursuing his defense "would allow our state and our nation to move forward."

“These are serious allegations against Senator Menendez and if proven true, there is no room for this kind of conduct in public service,” Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat representing the 11th Congressional District in north Jersey, wrote on X. “Today is a sad day for New Jersey and I believe it’s in the best interest of our state that Senator Menendez resign."

Menendez, who earlier in the day Friday denied the allegations, responded to his fellow Democrats saying he would not step down.

“Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades," Menendez said in a statement. "This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”

The first call from a prominent Democrat for Menendez to resign Friday came from another member of the state’s congressional delegation, Rep. Andy Kim of Moorestown. Kim said New Jerseyans needed to know the truth of the accusations, and that he hopes the judicial system brings that truth to light. Kim announced a 2024 primary bid aimed at unseating Menendez on Saturday.

“In the meantime, I don’t have confidence that the Senator has the ability to properly focus on our state and its people while addressing such a significant legal matter," he added.

Prosecutors allege Menendez disclosed sensitive information about a U.S. ban on arms sales, helped Egypt purchase about $100 million worth of ammunition from the U.S. and even ghost-wrote a letter from Egyptian officials seeking the release of $300 million in U.S. aid to Egypt.

In exchange, the indictment says, the Egyptian government gave a friend of Menendez’s wife a monopoly on halal certifications for U.S. food exports to Egypt. And that lucrative arrangement helped fund bribes to Menendez and his wife, it says.

The indictment includes photos of envelopes of cash, some that prosecutors say were found in the pocket of a jacket with Menendez’s name on it, as well as gold bullion and a Mercedes Benz. The indictment also charges the senator’s wife, Nadine, and three New Jersey businessmen.

Prosecutors also accused Menendez of interfering with the state attorney general’s office’s investigation on behalf of his associate, Jose Uribe, a former insurance agent convicted of fraud. The investigation would have happened under former Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. Current state AG Matt Platkin said Friday his office would investigate the matter.

"The conduct alleged in the indictment occurred prior to my tenure as Attorney General, and involved a matter that was resolved prior to my time in office," Platkin said in a statement Friday. "My Office has cooperated fully with the Southern District of New York’s investigation. We will continue to do so. We are also engaged in our own independent internal inquiry into the allegations set forth in the indictment."

On Friday Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said Menendez had “rightly decided to step down temporarily from his position as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee until the matter has been resolved.” But he stressed Menendez had been a “dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey” and has a right to due process.

Yet Menendez's first public response to the allegations Friday was combative.

“For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave,” Menendez said in a written statement.

The use of the word “grave” immediately evokes a statement Menendez made after a hung jury failed to convict him in a bribery trial in 2018.

“To those who were digging my political grave so they could jump into my seat, I know who you are and I won’t forget you,” Menendez famously said after his 2018 trial.

Insiders who are part of the discussion say they were talking among themselves Friday about what exactly to say. On the one hand, Menendez is a powerful senior senator of New Jersey who has the strong Hudson County political machine behind him. But on the other hand, the 2024 election is looming — with Menendez at the top of the ticket on every ballot in the state.

Several Democrats were vocal in support of Menendez in the days after news site Semafor broke the story of the investigation last fall. At an event to commemorate Sandy's 10th anniversary in the days following the Semafor story, fellow U.S. Sen. Cory Booker called Menendez "not just a hero for this state, but for Louisiana to Florida, to every community that is suffering the ravages of climate change." And U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone said Menendez was accessible to people suffering after Sandy: "You could just call him up and ask for individual help."

In an interview at the time on WNYC’s “Ask Governor Murphy,” the governor said he didn’t know anything about the investigation itself, but boasted about Menendez’s advocacy for the state following Sandy.

"Nobody comes close to what Bob Menendez did, and has been doing since then,” Murphy said.

In 2018, Lisa McCormick challenged Menendez for re-election in the Democratic primary. Despite being unknown and having little money, she captured 38% of the vote. This time around, it looks like prosecutors have a stronger case, so Democrats won’t want to leave the electoral challenge to an outsider, said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics

The Democrats would rather take action themselves than have someone else capitalize on the the situation, he said.

Earlier this year, Roselle Park mayor Joe Signorello III filed paperwork to run in the 2024 primary against Menendez, but then shifted his campaign to run a much smaller race, for the 7th Congressional District.

This story has been updated with additional information and a statement from Menendez.