Sen. Menendez Meetings Spark Ire of Sen. Fetterman

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has called for Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., to be expelled over charges of bribery charges involving foreign governments, is questioning why the Biden administration is holding meetings with the "sleazeball" and said he doesn't know why Menendez hasn't been "chucked."

Fetterman made the remarks after Menendez attended a classified meeting Thursday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, The Daily Caller reported.

"He needs to go," Fetterman said.

Fetterman is endorsing Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J. in this year's Senate race. Kim, like many other Democrats, has called for Menendez to step down. 

Menendez and his wife Nadine Menendez are seeking separate trials on charges that they allegedly aided three New Jersey businessmen in return for cash, gold bars, and a luxury car.

Thursday's meeting with Blinken marked the second time Menendez had been in a classified meeting after his indictments, CNN's Manu Raju wrote on X.

Menendez stepped down from his role as Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair in September, and attended the classified briefing on Ukraine on Thursday after attending a similar briefing in November, said Raju.

Asked why he would be involved in such meetings, Menendez told reporters to "look to my past answers," Raju reported.

Menendez, who maintains he is innocent and has pleaded not guilty to the bribery charges, says the claims against him are a "sensational narrative" from the U.S. government, and says that there is "no proof" that he received gifts for promoting Qatar. 

In November, when he attended a separate classified briefing on Ukraine, Menendez told reporters that he had the right to be at the meeting because of his security credentials and status as a lawmaker. 

He further said that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not prohibited him from attending such classified briefings.

"The bottom line is, I'm a United States senator," Menendez told Raju in November. "I have my security credentials and an accusation is just that: it's not proof of anything."

Fetterman in November introduced a resolution to keep Menendez out of classified briefings, commenting in an interview in December that it is hypocritical for Congress to have expelled former GOP New York Rep. George Santos but not Menendez.

• Judge Napolitano to Newsmax: Menendez Facing Rest of Life in Jail
• Sen. Menendez Facing New Allegations Involving Qatar