U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3) lashed out at Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy in the aftermath of Murphy’s statement to the media Wednesday that he hadn’t “really thought about” whether embattled U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) should resign if convicted of corruption charges.

“Phil Murphy’s claim that he hasn’t thought about whether Senator Menendez should resign if convicted of federal corruption charges is not remotely credible,” MacArthur said.

“Moreover, it is an incredibly weak answer to a really simple question,” added the Republican Congressman serving Burlington and Ocean counties. “Let me be clear to Mr. Murphy: You don’t need to be a lawyer to figure this out, you need to be a leader. Any elected official – Republican or Democrat – convicted of a felony should resign their office immediately.  If they refuse to do so, bipartisan action should be taken to remove them.”

Multiple Republican sources cite MacArthur as a strong choice for Governor Chris Christie to take Menendez’s seat if the senior U.S. Senator leaves while Christie is still governor. Christie speaks openly about MacArthur – first elected in 2014 – as the future of the New Jersey GOP.

Sources also say Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-21) – a close all-weather of the sitting Republican Governor – is another possible replacement for Menendez if the senator retires early.