Bob Menendez to resign next month following corruption conviction

24 İyul 09:09 | 1 157

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey will resign his seat effective August 20, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by CNN.

In July, Menendez was convicted of 16 counts — including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent — for his role in a yearslong bribery scheme.

Tuesday’s developments mark a major moment in the New Jersey senator’s dramatic political downfall and will bring an end to his scandal-plagued tenure in the Senate. Menendez had faced mounting pressure from within his own party to resign or face the threat of expulsion from the Senate. Receipt of Menendez’s resignation letter was announced Tuesday on the Senate floor in a brief exchange between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Presiding Officer Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is expected to appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of Menendez’s term, which ends on January 3, 2025.

Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw are set to face off in the November general election for the seat. Menendez, who had been up for reelection this year, had previously filed to run as an independent. Menendez did not immediately say whether he still intends to run as an independent.

Menendez has represented New Jersey in Congress as a Democrat since being elected in 1992, first as a US representative and then as senator.

Menendez, who faces sentencing on October 29, has maintained he never violated his public oath and has said he has never been anything “but a patriot of my country and for my country.”

“Obviously, I’m deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision,” Menendez told reporters outside the courtroom after he was found guilty. “I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal.”

In the aftermath of the conviction, calls for Menendez to resign grew louder, with Schumer among the voices on Capitol Hill urging the senator to step down.

“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said in a statement.

Menendez stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year, but had long rejected calls to resign his US Senate seat.

Schumer told CNN that he will “defer to the Ethics Committee,” as to whether Menendez can continue to receive classified briefings until his official resignation date. The Senate Ethics Committee announced Monday that they had initiated a review of Menendez’s alleged rules violations.

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