'He needs to go': Fetterman renews call to boot Menendez from the Senate

Of all the positions Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has publicly taken in recent months, few have been more constant than his call for Sen. Bob Menendez to be booted from the Senate.

So when given the spotlight Friday on national TV, Fetterman didn't pull any punches.

"He needs to go," Fetterman said during an appearance on "The View."

"How can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate?"

Menendez, who was indicted in September along with his wife on federal corruption charges, has maintained his innocence, and has refused the many calls within his own party to relinquish his seat.

The sweeping indictment accuses Menendez of taking cash, gold bars and other bribes from three acquaintances of his wife in exchange for lobbying on behalf of the Egyptian government and pressuring prosecutors to drop criminal investigations.

On Saturday, Menendez fired back in a statement to NorthJersey.com saying Fetterman will "have to eat his words" when he is exonerated.

“Mr. Fetterman appears to think he’s judge, jury, and executioner," Menendez said. "The junior senator from Pennsylvania seems to be more interested in clickbait than justice. He cannot say he stands for core constitutional principles of due process and the presumption of innocence when he is actively working to undermine my rights. I’m confident when all the facts are presented, I will be exonerated and the senator will have to eat his words."

A rising star in his party, Fetterman was the first Senate Democrat to call for Menendez's resignation less than 24 hours after the New Jersey politician and his wife were indicted on federal corruption charges. Since then, dozens of Democratic leaders have echoed that call.

Fetterman didn't let go. Last month, he introduced a resolution to strip Menendez of his committee assignments and to bar him access to classified information.

On Friday when asked by host Joy Behar for his reaction to the expulsion of Rep. George Santos, R-NY, from the House of Representatives, Fetterman instead focused on Menendez.

"We have a colleague in the Senate that's actually done much more sinister and serious kinds of things, Senator Menendez," said Fetterman, wearing his trademark hoodie. "He needs to go. If you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate? Santos' lies were almost kind of funny. He landed on the moon and that kind of stuff. Menendez is really a Senator for Egypt, not New Jersey. So I really think he needs to go, especially since it's kind of strange that Santos is not allowed to remain in the House."

When asked whether a decision like that should be held off until Menendez's case goes through the courts, Fetterman remained firm.

"He has his right to his day in court, but he doesn't have the right to have those kind of votes ... that's not a right," he said. "I think we need to make that kind of decision to send him out."

Menendez said he will still seek the Democratic nomination for his Senate seat in next year's primary, which also includes opponents Rep. Andy Kim and first lady Tammy Murphy.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fetterman says Menendez should be kicked out of the Senate