New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez set to resign on Aug. 20 after being convicted on federal bribery charges
NEW JERSEY -- Sen. Bob Menendez will resign effective Aug. 20. This comes a week after he was convicted on federal bribery charges.
Menendez had previously refuted reports that he was going to step down, but his resignation letter was read in the Senate chamber on Tuesday afternoon by presiding Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont.
Sen. Menendez Resignation Letter by CBSNewYork Scribd on Scribd
A successor, only set to serve the remainder of Menendez's term through Jan. 3, 2025, is not expected to be announced this week, according to one of the people familiar with the plans.
Menendez had been facing intense pressure to resign from fellow Democrats, who threatened to call for a vote to expel him had Menendez refused to do so. Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker were among those who called on Menendez to step down. In fact, New Jersey Democrats had been calling for Menendez to resign ever since he was indicted in September 2023.
The bribery offenses against Menendez, New Jersey's senior U.S. senator, stemmed from a years-long public-corruption investigation by the Justice Department.
In its indictment, the government claimed Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using his power and influence as a U.S. senator to enrich and protect three New Jersey businessmen and benefit Egypt's government from roughly 2018 to 2022.
Menendez was convicted on 16 felony counts -- including bribery, extortion and acting as a foreign agent -- on July 16. He pleaded not guilty and continues to maintain his innocence. Menendez has said he plans to appeal.
Menendez was previously indicted in 2015 on roughly a dozen charges, including bribery and conspiracy, following accusations he accepted gifts from a wealthy Democratic donor in exchange for political favors. The case ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict despite deliberating for more than a week.
Menendez was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2006 by then-Gov. John Corzine, who resigned the seat after being elected governor.
Menendez's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29.
The trial for Nadine Menendez was postponed indefinitely as she recovers from breast cancer surgery.
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