Brown calls on Menendez to resign

Sep. 26—WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, joined the chorus of officials calling on embattled U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, to resign.

"Sen. Menendez has broken the public trust and should resign from the U.S. Senate," Brown said in a statement on Monday.

Menendez was indicted earlier this month after a federal investigation found he and his wife accepted bribes in exchange for political influence.

A number of officials from both parties have called on Menendez to resign, following the indictment, including Phil Murphy, the Democratic governor of New Jersey.

Menendez has maintained his innocence and says he will fight the charges.

Menendez is not the only member of Congress serving he is currently under indictment.

Freshman U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-New York, already in the headlines for falsifications in his biography, was indicted by a federal grand jury in May on charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making materially false statements to the U.S. House. Republican leadership in the chamber has stood behind Santos following the indictment.