Bob Menendez tells allies he plans on resigning after federal bribery conviction
Newly minted felonš New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has told allies that he plans to resign following his conviction on federal bribery charges, according to a report Wednesday.
NBC News, citing two unnamed sources “directly familiar with those conversations,” reported that the three-term Democrat voiced his intent to call it quits.
Menendez, 70, was convicted by a Manhattan federal jury Tuesday of 16 counts foį£r tradinź¦g his political power to benefit three Garden State businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar in exchange for hundreds of thousands in cash, gold bars and gifts.
He refused to say whether he would step down while leaving court Tuesday ā even as Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and fellow New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker called on him to resign.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and other Democrats like Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Oź¦°hio) called for a vote to expel Menendez should he refuse to resign himself.
If either occurs before the end of the term, ļ·½Murphy would be able to appoint a temporary replacement to fill the seat until January 2025.
Menendez had briefly weighed an independent run to keep his seat, but the November election will now have Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) facing off against RepublšÆican opponent Curtis Bashaw.
Senate Ethics Committee chairman Chris Coons (D-Del.) and ranking member James Lankford (R-Okla.) also pledged Tuesday to āpromptlyā conclude a separateā probe of the senator that would include a āfull range of disciplinary actions available.ā
The Garden State Democrat stepped down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Cļ·½ommittee after hą¦is indictment in September ā but was still receiving some classified briefings.
Menendez wonāt be sentenced šfor the bribery conviction until Oct. 29.
Reps for his congressional office did not immediately respond to a request šfor comment.
His wife,š¦¹ Nadine Arslanian, 57, had her trial indefinitely postponed hours before her husbandās verdict ā despite accepšting lavish gifts from the same business associates as him, as well as a black Mercedes-Benz convertible.
Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, two of the three businesź¦ smen indicted as co-defendants with Menendez and his wife, were also convicted Tuesday.
Jose Uribe, the other businessman, flipped on the senator and pleaded guilty before the start of the trial.
