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Fetterman likens Menendez to Tony Soprano, dares to cite ‘integrity’ in blasting fellow Dem

September 27, 2023 | | Print Article

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is grabbing the opportunity to grandstand and is going after Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), comparing him to mob boss Tony Soprano.

(Video Credit: MSNBC)

Fetterman called for Menendez’s resignation Tuesday during an appearance on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut.” The beleaguered New Jersey Democrat is facing mounting pressure from his own party to step down following his indictment on federal corruption charges.

Reid laid the groundwork to paint Fetterman as some kind of leftist hero for calling out Menendez, asking him why he was the first Democrat senator to do so.

“Honestly, I was actually surprised that I was the first one. I mean, it’s so black and white. I mean, it’s so clear. The last time there’s ever been a man with so much cash in their home in New Jersey was Tony Soprano. You know? I mean, it’s not a— it’s not a— it’s not a close call, and if you were looking for the most incriminating kinds of evidence, nobody could even come up with gold bars in a mattress,” Fetterman stammered.

“So, and again, he’s entitled to have his day in court, but he is not entitled to remain in the Senate and he needs to go,” he declared.

Reid went on to ask Fetterman if he had heard from any senators who hadn’t called for Menendez’s resignation.

“Obviously I don’t speak for anyone else in the Senate [other than] myself, but what I can say is that, you know, he has to go,” he repeated.

“New Jersey is a safe, blue seat, and they have a governor ready to appoint somebody that’s ready to step in and make the kind of votes that he needs to do. And again, it’s never been about him. It’s about the Senate and the integrity and he needs to go,” Fetterman hypocritically asserted.

After Fetterman called for Menendez to resign, many other Democrats followed suit, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).

Menendez is refusing to go quietly into that good night and is still claiming he did nothing wrong. He is calling it a “smear campaign” against him and has even thrown down the race card over the charges.

Prosecutors claim that Menendez and his wife engaged in a pay-to-play influence-peddling scheme that involved “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes from three New Jersey businessmen and pandering to Egypt. The FBI found nearly $500,000 in cash and more than $100,000 in gold at Menendez’s home in a raid last year connected to the charges.

“I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator,” he said during a press conference on Monday.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is leading his state’s Democrats in calling for the ouster of Menendez, according to The Hill.

Other Democrat senators telling Menendez it is time to go include Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CN), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Other Democrats in general calling for his resignation include Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), House candidate Sue Altman (D-NJ), Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC), New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and New Jersey State Democratic Party Chairman LeRoy Jones.

And more are lining up.

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