Ocasio-Cortez calls on Menendez to resign after federal bribery indictment

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Sunday called on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to resign after he was indicted on federal bribery charges this past week.

“The situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe that it is in the best interest for Sen. Menendez to resign in this moment,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who had also called on Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to resign after he was indicted, said the issue should not be partisan. She joins several other high-profile Democrats in calling for Menendez's resignation, including the New Jersey governor and the state's party chair as well as fellow House and Senate Democrats.

“Consistency matters. It shouldn't matter whether it's a Republican or a Democrat. The details in this indictment are extremely serious. They involve the nature of, not just his, but all of our seats in Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez said. 

Menendez was accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and gold to assist three New Jersey businessmen and interests in Egypt.

Menendez has denied the allegations and called the indictment part of a “smear campaign” against him, noting too that people were quick to judge him, in part, because he’s Latino. 

Asked about Menendez’s concerns about bias against Latino people, Ocasio-Cortez, who is Latina, acknowledged such biases but said the indictment includes strong evidence. She insisted, however, that everyone must be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“As a Latina, there are absolutely ways in which there is systemic bias. But I think what is here in this indictment is quite clear,” she said, noting that resigning, “I believe is in the best interest to maintain the integrity of the seat.”

“I want to emphasize that all people are, they must be extended the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. That is the legal reality in our country. But when it comes to the political and the standard of dignity that we want to maintain for the public in the United States Congress, I do believe it is in the best interests,” she said.