In Shadow of Hunter Biden Probe, Democrats Grapple with Corruption Scandals in Own Ranks

More than 15 years after Nancy Pelosi first swept House Democrats back into power with a pledge to fight a culture of corruption, her own party is reeling from a series of bribery and graft cases across the country.

The latest came Tuesday when New York’s lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, was forced to resign after being charged with multiple violations, including bribery.

It followed other cases that have targeted the powerful former House Speaker Mike Madigan in Illinois, as well as current and state lawmakers in Hawaii, Nevada, Tennessee and Kentucky as the White House grapples with a tax and influence peddling probe focused on the president’s son Hunter Biden.

Republicans are embracing the turnabout, showcasing law-and-order candidates like Congressman Lee Zeldin for governor and former NYPD officer Alison Esposito as the No. 2 on the ticket in New York challenging Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and Benjamin in the aftermath of the Andrew Cuomo scandal.