Conservative smacked down for suggesting Democrats are protecting indicted senator
Veteran GOP strategist Scott Jennings tried to link how Democrats are reacting to the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and the GOP establishment's wagon-circling around former President Donald Trump following his four indictments — but was quickly shot down by co-panelists on CNN Monday.
Menendez, who has been charged with bribery as federal prosecutors allege he was personally given cash and gold bars by the Egyptian government in exchange for policy favors, is defiant amid calls to step down and does not admit to any criminal wrongdoing.
The CNN panel was led by Biden White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield.
"Kate is putting as happy a face as possible on whether this complicates things for Democrats," said Jennings, who has served as an adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
"I mean, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, know what all three have in common? Not a single one have called for Menendez to step down, and they've been very hands-off with this guy right now. And so while they're out banging on Donald Trump for his legal entanglements, they are worried about being too critical of Menendez. You have a couple calling him to resign, and that is about it, and what he's hearing from his party leadership, in my opinion, is support."
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'Menendez has lived experiences, you could get accused of corruption and get a hung jury and live in a post-shame society, and so I don't expect them to do anything else except plow it straight ahead and see if he could beat it again," Jennings added.
"The idea that we would compare the crimes from Donald Trump over the last two or three years, which we've seen on full display, to these allegations which are serious — and Democrats have said they are serious — the idea as we would compare those two things in terms of public evidence we've seen to date, that is — that didn't quite pass the smell test," said Bedingfield.
"But I think you're seeing the difference between the way Republicans react, which is in a very protect-the-team way and willing to go to bat for any transgression that Trump has committed, versus the way Democrats are reacting to say, let the justice system do their job."
"In the state of New Jersey, that is not what you're hearing," interjected anchor Erica Hill. "From the governor and across multiple important positions of leadership and — and lawmakers that we're seeing there. They're saying that Menendez should resign."
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