Sen. John Fetterman taunts Bob Menendez with nickname in hallways of US Capitol
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman reportedly taunts New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez with the nickname “Gold Bar Bob” whenever the two senators cross paths in Washington, D.C.
He’ll presumably continue to do so if Menendez doesn’t step down amid his ongoing legal troubles.
Menendez was hit with corruption charges in September after investigators found gold bars and cash in his home, which prosecutors have linked to alleged acts of bribery advancing the interests of Qatar and Egypt. The 70-year-old lawmaker headed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee prior to being charged.
Menendez insists he did nothing wrong, but that doesn’t stop Fetterman from badgering his fellow Democrat on sight in the U.S. Capitol, according to a New Yorker profile on the towering Pennsylvanian.
“Every time Fetterman saw Menendez, he would just shout out, ‘Gold Bar Bob!'” a veteran HuffPost political reporter told the New Yorker.
Fetterman was quick to criticize Menendez when allegations against his neighbor and colleague arose in 2023.
“Senator Menendez should resign,” Fetterman said in a statement in September while he was running for the Senate. “He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence under our system, but he is not entitled to continue to wield influence over national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations.”
The hulking 6’8 Democrat added that he hoped Menendez would make “an honorable exit” and prepare for his criminal trial.
Fetterman served as Pennsylvania’s 34th lieutenant governor before being elected to the Senate in 2022. He defeated Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz — whose close ties to New Jersey became an issue during Pennsylvania’s Senate election.
The magazine profile claims Fetterman routinely uses profane terms not normally heard in the Senate to describe members of the Republican party too.
Following a nasty May spat in the House of Representatives involving Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Fetterman raised eyebrows on both sides of the aisle by likening Congress to “The Jerry Springer Show.”
Longtime Fetterman adviser Rebecca Katz described her boss to the New Yorker as “the guy who says the emperor has no clothes.”
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