The campaigns of Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) will each donate the $10,000 they accepted from Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-N.J.) political action committee in the wake of federal charges accusing the New Jersey senator of bribery, fraud and extortion.
Montanans for Tester will donate the $10,000 it received from Menendez’s PAC to a veterans charity while Bob Casey for Senate will donate the money it took from Menendez this election cycle to an unspecified cause.
Both are running for reelection in 2024.
“I’ve read the detailed charges against Sen. Menendez and find them deeply disturbing. While he deserves a fair trial like every other American, I believe Sen. Menendez should resign for the sake of the public’s faith in the U.S. Senate,” Tester said in a statement.
Casey also called on Menendez to step down from office.
“Public service is a sacred trust. The specific allegations set forth in the federal indictment indicate to me that Senator Menendez violated that trust repeatedly,” he said.
Federal campaign finance records show that Montanans for Tester accepted a total of $30,000 from Menendez over several election cycles. Bob Casey for Senate Inc. has taken a total of $20,000 over the years while the Bob Casey for Pennsylvania Committee has accepted $6,500 from Menendez in the past.