When Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey was arrested for allegedly bribery of a Mercedes, gold bars and envelopes stuffed with cash, the response from the state’s governor was swift and certain.

These are serious allegations that endanger national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system, Democrat Phil Murphy said in a written statement, which included an obligatory nod to every citizen who is innocent unless proven guilty.

The alleged facts are so serious that they jeopardize Senator Menendez’s ability to effectively represent the people of our state, Murphy said. That is why I call for his immediate resignation.

Other Democrats followed suit, including California Rep. Adam B. Schiff.

The allegations in the indictment against Senator Menendez are shocking, he wrote on Twitter, er, X. If true, they represent the most profound betrayal of his oath of office. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence and will have his day in court. But the seriousness of the matter demands his resignation.

The condemnation of Menendez’s fellow partisans and calls for

the

The ouster of the supposedly tacky senator stood in stark contrast to the “see no evil” response from countless Republicans who not only excused former President Trump’s serial charges, but also

So

double the support.

Menendez should switch parties, said George Conway, the conservative lawyer and co-founder of the Trump-harassed Lincoln Project. The other side would grant him at least two more charges.

In 2015, Menendez was indicted on federal bribery charges involving cash and lavish vacations received from an ophthalmologist in Florida. The case ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict and the government decided not to retry him.

The latest case, contained in a 39-page indictment, accuses Menendez and his wife Nadine of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to exert his political influence on behalf of the Egyptian government and business associates in New Jersey.

According to authorities, a search turned up more than $480,000 in cash wrapped in envelopes and jackets embroidered with Menendez’s name, more than $100,000 in gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible parked in the couple’s garage.

From a cynical point of view, it’s easy to understand why Democrats feel free to express outrage and overrule the senator. They get a free pass. After all, Murphy would certainly exercise his power as governor and replace Menendez with another Democrat, thus maintaining party control over the Chamber.

Removing Menendez would also eliminate the possibility of putting his seat on the line in 2024, when Democrats face a stiff challenge to maintain their tenuous majority, and reduce the risk that he drags Democrats into legislative battles in New Jersey in this case.

I understand personal loyalty and I understand the depths of friendship, but someone has to take a stand here, former New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Torricelli told the New York Times. It’s not about him, it’s about maintaining the majority.

Whatever the motivation, doing the right thing is still doing the right thing. (Notably AWOL from the Menendez must-go movement is his fellow New Jersey senator, Democrat Cory Booker, whose silence has been thunderous.)

Not that Menendez is giving in.

He lost his chairmanship of the Senate for Foreign Relations

Relationships

Committee, resigning as required by Democratic Senate statutes. But he made clear at a defiant news conference on Monday that he will ignore calls to resign even as he stretches credibility to the breaking point.

All that profit secretly stashed in the house? A form of personal insurance, Menendez suggested, as a result of the trauma he faced as the son of Cuban immigrants

It is the second time he has played the ethnic victim card.

In his initial response to Friday’s indictment, Menendez claimed he was being falsely accused because he is a Latin American who rose from humble origins, as if embracing modest means is forbidden for the country’s second-largest ethnic group.

It’s a cynical and pathetic trick

And

of himself, makes him worthy of condemnation.

Unsurprisingly, Menendez did not answer questions from reporters during Monday’s appearance, including whether he would seek reelection in 2024 and an extension of his nearly 50-year political career. He already has an opponent, three-term New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, a fellow Democrat, who said he would run against Menendez if he tries for another term.

Others may be able to participate in the race, and that’s good for them.

The legal system will weigh Menendez’s guilt or innocence. But his party colleagues are not looking forward to that.

Thanks to Democrats calling on Menendez to resign, former California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer tweeted after his press conference.

Sorry, it’s not normal to have closets full of cash and by the way, just a few gold bars hanging around with friends. No one is indispensable and if we want to save America, we better have people who won’t sell their souls.

Republicans must heed this and hold Trump accountable.