By David Cruz
Correspondent
On the day he was indicted on 14 corruption charges, Bob Menendez faced the press with the backing of a couple hundred rowdy supporters, who interrupted his remarks with whoops and cheers. To viewers at home it looked like an impromptu political pep rally. But, in reality, it was a well-orchestrated show of support from two key constituencies — Latinos from Hudson County and Sandy victims. The theme?
“Bob’s been fighting the system all his life,” said Paterson Mayor Jose Torres, a Democrat. “Again, these are one of those hurdles that I believe, at the end of the day, he will be vindicated.”
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop was also a vocal supporter.
“He’s always been a fighter for us and we’re gonna continue to support him,” he said this week. “Over the last couple decades, there have been accusations from political enemies countless times and every time, no matter how severe they seemed, he has succeeded.”
“The hypocrisy is what I find fascinating,” said Republican Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi. She calls bunk on all the Menendez backers. She says many of the same Democrats who are coming out to support the state’s senior senator are the same people who piled on when Gov. Chris Christie was at the center of the GWB scandal.
“You’re talking about a situation where a 14-count indictment came down, which has a lot of very weighty charges in it and, these same people, with Gov. Christie, came out, made comments that he should be impeached, that he should resign,” she added. “Bonnie Watson Coleman on MSNBC had to step down from the committee investigating because she made conclusory allegations about the governor.”
A statement from Bonnie Watson Coleman this week did express support for Menendez. “Like all Americans,” it said, “Sen. Menendez is entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence, and the chance to defend himself.”
To suggest Democrats are rallying behind one of their own is like saying you’re shocked, shocked at gambling going in this establishment. Remember, Republicans were almost uniformly behind the governor when the bridge scandal broke. Christie, who while U.S. Attorney in 2006, initiated an unsuccessful investigation into Menendez, was discreet when we asked him about Menendez recently.
“If I had 50 minutes, I wouldn’t give you two minutes on Menendez, and I don’t,” he said two weeks ago.
That’s a lot of discretion from a man known for casually tossing political firebombs at his opponents. The current U.S. Attorney, Paul Fishman, who called fighting public corruption the signature program of his office, was likewise, circumspect this week, refusing to comment despite repeated questions about Menendez.
Off the record, some Democrats say the Menendez camp made it clear that full-throated support was expected, but, even the senator’s most ardent supporters know that, if this all goes bad for Menendez, a U.S. Senate seat could be opening up soon, and, in a Democratic Party primary, how heartily you backed Bob might just be part of a litmus test.