Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, defended Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Sunday after Menendez was hit with federal corruption charges last week, saying that the charges against former President Donald Trump were just as serious and prosecutors needed to “prove” their case.
Durbin made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked about the multiple felonies facing Menendez.
“He is due in federal court on Wednesday on bribery and corruption charges, including allegations that he received gold bars, a luxury car, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and he gave sensitive government information to Egypt,” Bash said. “He is denying these charges, I should say. But many Democratic members and officials in New Jersey are saying that he should resign. Do you?”
Durbin said that the charges against Menendez were “very serious” but that the indictments against Trump were also “equally serious charges.”
“These are, in fact, indictments that have to be proven under the rule of law,” Durbin said. “The person who is accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence. And it’s the responsibility of the government to prove that case.”
Durbin did note that Menendez had to step down from his spot as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but added that “in terms of resignation, that’s a decision to be made by Senator Menendez and the people of New Jersey.”
Bash pushed back, noting that a lot of Democrats have said that Menendez should resign.
“Well, keep in mind that these are charges, and they have to be proven. And there is a presumption of innocence,” he said. “How far it goes, in terms of his future service, is something to be decided by the senator and the people of New Jersey.”
Bash later noted that Menendez was going to be up for reelection and asked Durbin if he should run again.
“Well, I can tell you that it’s a significant event,” Durbin said. “Clearly, it is. And whether or not he will run for reelection remains to be seen.”
WATCH:
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) defends Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) from corruption charges, says charges against Trump are “equally serious” and prosecutors needed to “prove” their case even though they’ve already laid out significant evidence against the Senator. pic.twitter.com/71IWzKx11x
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) September 24, 2023