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CNN
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Democratic senators are open to expelling Sen. Bob Menendez if he is convicted in his corruption trial, as House and Senate leaders cautiously surround their indicted colleagues. ing.
Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas was indicted on federal bribery charges as Menendez fights charges in a New York court of abusing his power and lining his own pockets to support the Egyptian and Qatari governments. Both Democratic lawmakers have pleaded not guilty.
While Mr. Menendez could reach a verdict in the coming weeks, Mr. Cuellar’s case is expected to take months to resolve, leaving House Democratic leaders with no choice but to make plans for members seeking re-election in seats that could flip to Republicans. I’m considering what to do about it, and I’m confused.
One reason for their complicated position is that many immediately called for the expulsion of the then-member. George Santos before his trial on charges of fraud and money laundering. The New York Republican became the sixth member of Congress in history to be ultimately expelled amid a series of criminal charges and a damning House Ethics report. Mr. Santos also pleaded not guilty.
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have stopped short of calling for Cuellar’s resignation, leaving the forces that led Santos’ ouster on the defensive.
Representative Dan Goldman, a Democrat from New York, did not call for Cuellar’s resignation, even though he was one of the earliest and loudest voices calling for Santos to step down from Congress. defended the decision.
“George Santos has admitted to misconduct that shows he should not be a member of Congress,” Goldman said. “He admitted that he lied throughout his campaign and deceived voters. And that is certainly more than enough to justify expulsion.
“Mr. Cuéllar has been indicted, presumed innocent, and disputes the charges, but must admit to his actions, be convicted, or be found by the Ethics Committee to have violated House rules. He should be indicted until he is presumed innocent,” Goldman added.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who helped push for Santos’ ouster, cited a 2008 case in Brazil involving two forged checks, saying that “Santos actually admitted to the crime,” and that Republicans He argued that the circumstances involved were different.
“That was the trigger for us,” Garcia said. “But I think what’s happening to Henry Cuellar is very serious. … It’s very disturbing. Democrats should and will continue to respond appropriately.”
He said he was not prepared to call for Cuellar’s resignation. “I think we’ll have to wait and see what happens over the next few weeks.”
House Democratic leaders similarly stopped short of calling on Cuellar to resign.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader, declined to say whether he would support Mr. Cuéllar’s re-election, but he also said he had no intention of rescinding his previous support for the Texas Democrat.
“I’m not revoking the endorsement,” Jeffries said of Cuellar.
And the No. 3 House Democrat, Pete Aguilar of California, said he would support Cuéllar’s re-election despite three of his Texas Democratic colleagues pleading guilty in Cuéllar’s bribery case. did not comment on the question.
“I’m going to talk about that at a press conference next week,” he told CNN.
House Democratic leaders intend to wait for Mr. Cuellar’s case, but the issue could surface sooner for Mr. Menendez in the Senate.
If Menendez is expelled, he would be the 16th senator in history to be expelled, but the first since 1862. Fourteen of the previously expelled senators were expelled in 1861-1862 for their support for the Confederacy.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York declined to comment when asked if he would support expelling Menendez if he is convicted. “He’s on trial so I won’t comment,” he told reporters last week.
However, some people were open to it.
Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat whose seat is at stake, said he wanted to see how the trial goes, but acknowledged that a conviction would force him to change his stance on Menendez.
“When I get to the bridge, I cross that bridge,” Tester said. “We will let the justice system do what it needs to do. As I say every time, no one is above the law. If he is found guilty, the equation will change.”
Other vulnerable Democrats, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, both said they would wait for the trial to take place before taking a position on Menendez’s possible ouster. Stated.
“I asked him to resign several months ago,” Casey told CNN. “My position was very clear.”
Some were actually willing to be expelled.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, added that Menendez should be expelled if convicted. “I never thought about it or spent a second on it, but I think if he’s going to be found guilty, he should be found guilty,” he said.
Others were careful not to go that far.
“In my opinion, he should have resigned a long time ago,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts.
Asked again whether he should be expelled if convicted, Warren said: “I said he should resign at this point. He doesn’t belong here.”
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