Sen. Bob Menendez was already facing a bleak political and legal future, but things went from bad to worse for the New Jersey Democrat after a jury found him guilty on 16 federal corruption counts. Ahead of the verdict, most of his colleagues in the Senate Democratic conference had called for Menendez’s resignation, and after the verdict, the number grew — quickly.
Indeed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wasted no time in calling for Menendez to step down. Others, including Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, raised the prospect of expelling their criminal colleague if he failed to resign.
But it was a point from another member of the Senate Democratic leadership that stood out for me. NBC News reported:
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate president pro tempore, accused Republicans of a double standard on whether people convicted of felonies should hold positions of power as the GOP rallies around Donald Trump as its presidential nominee.
“I strongly reiterate my call for him to step down,” Murray said in a written statement. “No one is above the law — it’s pretty straightforward. Now if only my Republican colleagues would apply the same standards to the convicted felon who is running for President of the United States as their nominee.”
In fact, while the list of Senate Democrats calling on Menendez to resign grew — and continues to grow — there was no comparable push among Senate Republicans. GOP senators learned that one of their colleagues had just been convicted on corruption charges, but they made no real effort to show him the door.
Circling back to our earlier coverage, there might very well be an ideological dimension to this: When it comes to foreign policy, Menendez is to the right of most of his Democratic colleagues. Senate Republicans could be content to have him stick around because, on matters related to international affairs, they agree with him quite a bit — and no matter which Democrat replaced him, the GOP would almost certainly disagree with him or her more. But Murray’s point is ultimately the more persuasive one: If Republicans were to agree that Menendez’s crimes leave him unfit for office, it would almost certainly mean that Donald Trump is equally unsuitable for positions of public trust. For most Democrats, there’s no inconsistency to reconcile: They’re comfortable saying Trump has disqualified himself and showing Menendez the door. But for the GOP, it’s apparently easier to stay silent on Menendez than to try to explain why the senator should resign but the Republican Party’s felonious presumptive nominee should return to the White House. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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