"It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere."

Said Senator Robert Menendez, quoted in "Gold Bullion and Halal Meat: Inside the Menendez Investigation/Federal prosecutors have accused Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife, Nadine, of accepting bribes in exchange for official actions by Mr. Menendez" (NYT).

I love the way this article begins. Unlike the other news reports I've seen, it doesn't forefront all the cash and gold found in Menendez's house. It sets up a woman-made-him-do-it narrative. We begin in January 2018, when Menendez had avoided conviction on federal bribery charges. There was a hung jury, and the government declined to pursue a new trial. "He was free...." He could return to his Senatorial career. But then:

Would it fit?

Cheap shot I'm taking so you don't have to, upon reading this Instapundit post:

THEN CHRIS CHRISTIE SHOULD APPOINT HIMSELF TO THE SEAT: New York Times urges Menendez to resign.

Related: Could Chris Christie Appoint Himself To The U.S. Senate? Yes, He Can.

That's not really me making that joke. I disown it. It's just a joke that makes itself that I observed. I disapprove of it. For the record.

"And I am not going anywhere."

Says Senator Menendez, as if it's Act I of "Dreamgirls," but it's not.

"I wouldn’t be wasting time on a Bob Menendez political obituary."

"I think Bob Menendez is a very tenacious person, and he has the advantage of six long years and a fairly forgiving political environment in New Jersey."

According to — who better to say? — Bob Torricelli.

Think of all the Bobs who've thrived in fairly forgiving New Jersey.

It's all about the time frame. Torricelli had to withdraw when allegations emerged in the midst of a campaign. He didn't have any leeway for riding out the New Jersey forgiveness arc.