Menendez interview with NJ PBS will be released tomorrow

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez is set to appear on New Jersey PBS’s Chat Box with David Cruz, the first full interview the senator has given since he was indicted on federal corruption charges. The interview will be posted online tomorrow at 6 p.m., and air on television over the weekend.

According to NJ PBS, the interview will focus on “the recent corruption allegations against the senator and the impact they are having on his political career, his party’s standing among voters, whether he will seek re-election, what role he still plays in foreign relations including the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, aid to Ukraine and more.”

Menendez was first charged with bribery on September 22, and was hit with an additional charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent earlier this month. The former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A wide array of New Jersey Democrats, among them Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Senator Cory Booker, have called on Menendez to resign. Menendez has refused to do so, but it’s less clear whether he intends on seeking re-election in 2024; given his abysmal poll numbers and lack of party support, he’d very likely lose if he does try to seek a fourth term.