N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy, other top Democrats call on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign after second bribery indictment

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and other top state Democrats called on U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez to resign Friday, hours after he was indicted on federal bribery charges for a second time in less than a decade.

Menendez, a three-term Democrat who is up for reelection next year, has denied charges that he accepted hundreds of thousands in payoffs in exchange for assisting three state businessmen with their personal and legal problems.

Still, Murphy said in a statement: “The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Sen. Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation.”

» READ MORE: N.J. Sen. Bob Menendez indicted over gifts of gold bars and a luxury car

Other members of Menendez’s party quickly followed suit.

“In the interest of ensuring that New Jerseyans continue to be granted the federal representation that they deserve, and to make sure that our party is able to keep its focus on the critical upcoming state legislative elections in November, I believe that the best course of action is for Sen. Menendez to resign so that he can focus his full attention on his legal defense,” said Leroy Jones Jr., a longtime Menendez ally and the chairman of the state Democratic Party.

Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, who represents parts of South Jersey, also issued statements Friday.

» READ MORE: U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez indictment: Read the charges

“The charges laid out against Sen. Menendez go against everything we should believe as public servants,” Coughlin said. “Though I know that this indictment is an accusation, not a conviction, and that the senator has the right to defend himself from these charges, I believe Sen. Menendez must immediately step down and allow New Jersey and America to move forward.”

Menendez, who previously beat a federal bribery case in 2017, has vowed to remain in office as the new charges against him play out. However, he surrendered his position as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Friday in light of the case against him.

» READ MORE: Who is Bob Menendez’s wife, Nadine? Who else was charged in the indictment?

The relatively swift calls for the senator’s resignation from senior party leaders stood in contrast to how the party responded to Menendez’s earlier legal troubles.

Despite electoral vulnerability in 2018, Menendez didn’t face a serious primary challenge in the aftermath of a bribery case that ended in a mistrial.

This time around, the public appeared to have soured on Menendez even before the latest indictment. Just 35% of New Jersey adults approved of his job performance in the most recent Monmouth University poll, while 44% disapproved. Over the past year, his job rating has declined even among Democrats, according to Monmouth.

Prosecutors allege that Menendez used his influence to interfere on U.S. relations with Egypt on behalf of one businessman paying him bribes and leaked highly sensitive information on U.S. embassy personnel in exchange for bribes. He’s also accused of attempting to interfere in separate state and federal investigations involving businessmen and their allies offering him payouts.

“I have worked every day … to create jobs, strengthen public safety, update infrastructure and reduce costs for New Jersey families,” Menendez said in his statement Friday. “I remain focused on continuing this important work and will not be distracted by baseless allegations. “