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Expel Menendez for violating his Ethics Probation: a phone script for constituents of US Senators [1]

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Date: 2023-09-28  

Some in my network asked me to write a script for calling our US Senators (D-NY), so since I’ve done that I figured I could post it here as well. There are probably different customizations for senators in other states. Leave a comment if you make the phone call!

Three straightforward notes:

1. Article 1 Section 5 Clause 2 is important to this convo. Every senator has farther to go on this than they’ve gone so far — even if your Senator has called for Menendez to resign, none of them have even discussed expelling him. But it’s obvious now that a serious threat of expulsion, if not the actual vote, will be necessary; Menendez isn’t going anywhere on his own just because people ask him nicely.

2. Messaging about forcing him out needs to address the “due process” red herring. I recommend the analogy to a violation of probation, where the Ethics Committee reprimand from 5 years ago should be understood as sentencing him to probation because he had already lapsed badly.

3. Senators have a DC office and then various local offices throughout the home state. Generally I call the DC office and also the local office near my residence.

Script

I’m a constituent from [[region / county / city]] calling to give the senator an issue message. [[wait for confirmation of taking the message, or respond to identity questions if they asked up front]]

The message is in favor of expelling corrupt Bob menendez from the senate.

Almost every political officer of note in his home state of New Jersey has called for him to leave, and due process in Senate matters is a red herring. He’s entitled to due process in the criminal justice system, which he is receiving, but in the Senate he is already on probation. The ethics committee “severely admonished him“* five years ago the last time corruption allegations came to light. Whether or not these new charges meet the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt on a specific criminal statute, he has obviously violated his probation for Senate ethics and he needs to go. As a citizen I want my representatives to stand for honesty and true public service in government, which means cleaning house when the guests make a mess. As a Democrat, I want party leaders to help us win elections, and headlines about "Embattled Bob Menendez" drip drip dripping through the news for months will be disastrous for Democrats up and down the ballot this fall and in 2024. <>

Gillibrand:

Senator Gillibrand has focused on government ethics in the past, and she showed significant leadership when allegations against then-Senator Al Franken surfaced a few years ago. This time Senators Fetterman and Booker have already taken the vanguard in speaking publicly against Senator Menendez, but he's not going without a push. We need Senator Gillibrand to lead again by focusing the public conversation on expelling him from the Senate under Section 5 Clause 2 of the constitution.**

Schumer:

As Majority Leader, Senator Schumer has a civic duty to protect the institution of the Senate and a duty to protect the Party from those who would take their own advantage at our expense. He needs to schedule a vote for the Senate to expel Menendez under its authority in Section 5 Clause 2 of the constitution.**

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/28/2196087/-Expel-Menendez-for-violating-his-Ethics-Probation-a-phone-script-for-constituents-of-US-Senators

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