Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is expected to force a vote on a resolution next week that would ban lawmakers who are indicted on national security matters from attending classified briefings.
The legislation is a response to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who was indicted on federal bribery charges in September last year. The Pennsylvania senator has been one of Menendez’s most vocal critics.
“We should have chucked that sleazeball long ago,” Fetterman told CNN of Menendez on Friday. “But now, we’re looking to move my resolution to the floor, and I’m going to call on unanimous consent so we can stop any senator that is being accused of being a foreign agent attending classified briefings.”
Democrats had been slow to criticize Menendez when he was indicted on federal bribery charges, but Fetterman was the first Democratic senator to call for Menendez to resign.
The damning comment comes as the race to replace Menendez heats up. Fetterman issued his endorsement for the seat on Thursday, throwing his support behind Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who he claimed is a “reliable Democrat” who would vote with the party if elected.
Menendez has not announced whether he is seeking reelection, but if he does, he faces Kim and the wife of Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ), Tammy Murphy. Murphy has received multiple endorsements, but Fetterman said he was concerned she would “waffle” on certain votes because she used to be a Republican.
“[Tammy Murphy might be] a lovely woman, but the last time I had to deal with a Republican from New Jersey, that was my own race,” Fetterman said, referencing his 2022 election fight with Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022.
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Fetterman has not been shy in his criticism of the New Jersey senator, claiming in December that his crimes were “more sinister” than those of former Republican New York Rep. George Santos, who was booted out of the House for lying about his background.
Fetterman also claimed that Menendez was “more of a senator for Egypt than for New Jersey.” Menendez and his wife have been accused of working as foreign agents for Egypt by accepting bribes. Both of them have pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.