American voters having faith in the nation’s institutions and elected officials is crucial to insuring our Democracy keeps humming along, but it’s a pretty tough sell these days.
To be frank, it’s been a tough sell for some time now, and it gets even harder with each new scandal that breaks.
There’s a school of thought that suggests money is what really controls everything, and that elected officials are mere puppets being controlled from behind the scenes.
That thought is a pretty uncomfortable one to chew on, but it’s hard not to have it cross your mind when another politician gets caught up in a massive corruption scandal.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is the latest one to have his legacy forever stained, and he could be booted out of office as a result.
The Daily Caller shares the details.
It would be “inappropriate and wrong” for New Jersey Sen. Bob Mendendez to remain in the Senate if convicted in his felony corruption trial, Vice President Mike Pence indicated on Tuesday.
Menendez, a Democrat, faces 18 corruption-related charges in connection with allegations that he wrongfully assisted a donor and friend, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in navigating government issues while Melgen attempted to get away with more than $100 million in Medicare fraud.
If Menendez is booted out, Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) would get to choose his replacement.
Unsurprisingly, Democrats aren’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole, but Pence has provided some helpful guidance that they can take to heart.
Appearing on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show Tuesday morning, Pence said that “having a convicted felon in the United States Senate, I think, would be altogether inappropriate and wrong.”
Pence dodged, though, when asked whether the Senate should “move quickly to expel” Menendez if convicted. “I think that’ll be a decision for members of the Senate,” Pence said.
There really shouldn’t be much of a discussion to have. If Menendez is convicted, he needs to go. Period.
While everyone deserves the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, it’s hard to fathom how this case would’ve even made it to trial without some rather indisputable evidence.
By extension, it would be nothing short of insulting to voters if he were allowed to finish out his term. We’ll go out on a limb and assume that the other temporary office occupants on Capitol Hill are well aware of that.
Source: Daily Caller
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