New Jersey Democrat targets Sen. Menendez and President Trump’s access to classified information

WASHINGTON — Currently facing 18 federal charges, embattled Sen. Bob Menendez (D.N.J.) is facing increasing pressure from his colleagues in Congress.

Presented by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (DN.J.). law On Friday, it barred people charged with certain crimes from receiving classified information, implicitly targeting Menendez, who has been charged with bribery, collusion with foreign governments and other crimes. ing.

If approved by Congress, the bill would be called the Protecting the United States from Reckless Disclosure Act, or the GUARD Act, and would be used to protect the United States from violating U.S. national security or acting as a foreign agent. It would apply to federal employees and candidates charged with obstructing an official proceeding. According to a copy first shared with NBC News, it is illegally in possession of classified national defense information.

The bill could also apply to former President Donald Trump. In addition to members of Congress, Sherrill’s bill would target the president, vice president, candidates for federal office who receive classified information, members of the military, and employees of the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Postal Service.

Trump indicted Mishandling of confidential information and Hinder Congressional Certification of the 2020 Presidential Election Results; We’ll start receiving intelligence reports soon.a practice for presidential candidates to ensure a smooth transition of power. That’s one of the reasons Sheryl is introducing the bill now.

“We’ve had former presidents for years who have leaked secrets to their adversaries, who have tried to hide or destroy information, who have not been clear about what they are holding, and now we have these violations,” Sherrill said in an interview Wednesday. He has been indicted for this.” “And our intelligence agencies are supposed to start briefing him?

“This bill aims to rectify that and ensure that those being prosecuted do not have access to state secrets,” she added.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Menendez have maintained their innocence, but neither has yet been tried. But Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor and Navy pilot, believes neither should have access to classified information for the time being.

Sherrill called for Menendez to resign hours after he was first charged in September with accepting lavish gifts in exchange for his influence as head of the then-powerful Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Menendez resigned as speaker in the fall, rejecting calls from more than half of the Democratic senators and the entire New Jersey House of Representatives group, with the exception of his son, Democratic Representative Robert Menendez Jr., to resign from Congress.

“It has been a long-standing concern of mine that classified information remains accessible to those who seek to divulge state secrets or undermine national security,” Sherrill said. “Of course, when Mr. Menendez was indicted as a foreign agent, we wondered how such a person could have access to classified information when he had already misused it in such a powerful position. It blew my mind.”

Her bill would require a majority vote in the House and Senate to override that bill and allow access to classified information on a case-by-case basis.

Menendez’s most vocal critic, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), said he had been removed from Menendez’s committee after he continued to attend briefings on sensitive national security issues. He introduced his own resolution that would strip him of his duties and ban him from receiving classified information. But that law went nowhere. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York described Menendez’s legal problems as “serious charges,” but he declined to call on him to resign.

Sherrill said she did not discuss her efforts with Fetterman.

Despite mounting criticism and increased scrutiny, Menendez announced This month, he announced that he would run for re-election as an independent if he is found not guilty. He is scheduled to go to trial in May, and his independent filing deadline is June 4.

“At a time like this, when a former president like Trump is trying to question many institutions of government and many values, it’s critical that we have a leader in office that people can trust.” Cheryl said.

“Frankly, I disagree that anyone can trust Mr. Menendez, who has put his own interests ahead of those of the nation in a very Trumpian way, and who has used his office to line his own pockets. “I don’t think so,” she said.