Ana Navarro, the liberal Republican cohost of ABC’s “The View,” was openly distraught over the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez — the Democrat faces federal bribery charges alleging he and his wife “engaged in a corrupt relationship” with three New Jersey businessmen from at least 2018 through 2022, reportedly receiving money, gold bars, and a luxury car in exchange for official favors.
Exposing just how entrenched she is in the political class, Navarro said she knows Menendez very well and was literally “shaken” over the allegations.
“I can tell you I have worked with him time and time again, brought many wealthy clients to him, brought many issues in front of him,” Navarro said. “Never has there been any hint of impropriety. Never has he hinted about a payback or anything like that.”
“So, I’m having a very hard time reconciling the evidence I saw shown on TV with the Bob Menendez I have known for almost 30 years,” the devastated cohost added. “This is personally hard for me, but, you know, when I saw all the evidence … I’m shaken.”
Navarro said she was “hoping against hope that there is some sort of logical explanation,” but stressed that she does not think he will resign — the liberal cohost did not call for any such resignation.
“I know Bob Menendez is not going to resign,” she said. “He beat this once, you know, he’s thinking, I’m, you know, ‘I can fight this. I’m going to fight this.’ He’s — I don’t think he’s going to resign. I think he’s going to go to trial on this. This looks ugly. This looks bad. This is hard to explain. I can’t come up with — with an explanation.”
Insisting the problem is bigger than her pal Menendez, Navarro threw the senator’s wife under the bus for “cashing in on his name.” She also referenced Hunter Biden, Jared Kushner, and even Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to call on the DC swamp known as Congress to “get a hold of this swampy-ness going on.”
Menendez announced on Monday that he’s not going anywhere amid a growing chorus calling on him to step down — even U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has joined the refrain.
Sen. Menendez: “A cornerstone of the foundation of American democracy and our justice system is the principle that all people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system. We cannot set aside the resumption… pic.twitter.com/wXZz60rXj1
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 25, 2023
“The allegations leveled against me are just that, allegations,” he proclaimed. “For anyone who has known me throughout my 50 years of public service, they know I have always fought for what is right. My advocacy has always been grounded.”
With due process being a fleeting quality for Democrats of late, Menendez had a sudden refresher: “I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey’s senior senator. The court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system. We cannot set aside the presumption of innocence for political expediency when the harm is irrevocable.”