WATCH: Fetterman Demands Expulsion Of 'Sinister' Dem Senator Following Santos Vote

Following the vote to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) on Friday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) doubled down on his calls for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to be expelled from the upper chamber during an appearance on ABC's 'The View.' Santos was expelled in a bipartisan vote of 311 in favor, 114 against, and two voting present. Of those voting in favor, 105 were Republicans. While the vote has shrunk the GOP majority to only three seats, it has caused a conversation in the Senate as to whether they should take action against Senator Menendez, who is currently indicted for corruption.

"I think the more important picture is that we have a colleague in the Senate that has actually done much more sinister and serious kinds of things, Senator Menendez. He needs to go. And if you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate," Fetterman said. "Santos's lies were funny, and he landed on the moon and that kind of stuff, whereas Menendez is really a senator for Egypt, not New Jersey. I really think he needs to go. It is kind of strange that if Santos is not allowed to remain in the House, someone like that is."

Fetterman went on to explain that he was uncomfortable with the fact that they would consider his expulsion while there hasn't been a conviction but emphasized that "He has the right for his day in court and all of that. But he doesn't have the right to have those kinds of votes and things. That is not a right, and I think we need to make that kind of decision to send him out."

The indictment against Sen. Menendez was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York last week and alleged that the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accepted over $700,000 in bribes from businessmen in exchange for aiding the government of Egypt via his powerful chairmanship. As the head of the Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez had significant power in determining whether or not Egypt received foreign aid.

The three men who bribed Menendez include Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes, who paid off the senator in order to enrich themselves and aid Egypt. The indictment alleges that $480,000 in cash was found at Menendez's residence last year in envelopes throughout the house. The senator's wife, Nadine Menendez, who has also been indicted, also had around $70,000 in a safe deposit box. In addition to the mountains of cash, the Democrat also accepted a luxury Mercedez Benz car and gold bars valued at over $100,000 from the men. Menendez claims that the cash found in his home was from previous withdraws over a 30-year period.

“The indictment alleges that Senator Menendez used his power and influence, including his leadership role on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to benefit the government of Egypt in various ways,” U.S. Attorney for the South District of New York Damian Williams said. “Among other actions, Senator Menendez allegedly provided sensitive, nonpublic U.S. government information to Egyptian officials and otherwise took steps to secretly aid the government of Egypt.”

“We also allege that Senator Menendez improperly pressured a senior official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect a lucrative monopoly that the government of Egypt had awarded to Hana, a lucrative monopoly that Hana then used to fund certain bribe payments,” he added. 

Santos' expulsion has opened a route for Republicans to pressure the other side of the aisle to hold Menendez accountable for his actions. The GOP should seize the opportunity. 

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