Fetterman reignites dress code bickering with Senate colleagues after Menendez bribery charges
Fox News
Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman renewed his call for his colleague Sen. Bob Menendez to resign on Tuesday and invoked the controversy surrounding the Senate dropping its dress code while doing so.
“This week, I hope to see my colleagues fully address the alleged systemic corruption of Senator Menendez with the same vigor and velocity they brought to concerns about our dress code,” Fetterman said in a statement Tuesday.
Fetterman’s comment comes a little over a week after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer dropped the dress code for senators which many referred to as the “Fetterman Rule” given that Fetterman has routinely been seen around the building wearing gym shorts and his trademark hoodie.
Additionally, Fetterman found a workaround to the legislative body’s dress code rules by voting from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his vote is recorded before ducking out.
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The move sparked outrage from conservatives who accused Fetterman and Schumer of lowering the level of decorum in the storied chamber.
Fetterman has pushed back against the critics several times including last Tuesday when he told Fox News Digital, “I don’t know why the right side seems to be losing their minds over it.”
Fetterman was the first of more than a dozen Senate Democrats to call for Menendez to resign amid bribery charges.
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“Senator Menendez should resign,” Fetterman tweeted on Saturday. “He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence, but he cannot continue to wield influence over national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations. I hope he chooses an honorable exit and focuses on his trial.”
Menendez was charged through an unsealed indictment Friday in the Southern District of New York with allegedly agreeing to use his official position to benefit New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes and Egypt’s government in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes.
The indictment also charges Menendez’s wife, Nadine, and the three businessmen in the years-long bribery scheme. Federal prosecutors said the bribes included gold bars, cash and a luxury convertible.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report