New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is expected to resign next month after his conviction at a federal corruption trial, sources tell Spectrum News.
Menendez was found guilty of all charges at his federal bribery and corruption trial last week. His resignation will be effective Aug. 20. His letter was communicated on the Senate floor and entered into the record on Tuesday afternoon without objection.
The news was first reported by the New Jersey Globe.
Menendez was convicted last week of accepting bribes of gold bars and cash from three New Jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt and Qatar. All told, he was found guilty of 16 charges, including extortion, obstruction, bribery, fraud and acting as a foreign agent.
In a 2022 raid on the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home where Menendez lived with his wife, Nadine, FBI agents confiscated gold bars worth nearly $150,000 and over $480,000 in cash, some of it stuffed into boots and jackets emblazoned with the senator's name.
He could face decades in prison; the most serious charges against him carry a penalty of up to 20 years behind bars.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict was handed down, Menendez vowed to appeal and predicted he would be "successful" in overturning his conviction.
"I have never violated my public oath," Menendez said. "I have never been anything but a patriot of my country, and for my country, I have never, ever been a foreign agent, and the decision rendered by the jury today would put at risk every member of the United States Senate in terms of what they think a foriegn agent would be.
Menendez's wife, Nadine, also was charged in the case, although her trial has been postponed while she recovers from breast cancer surgery. She pleaded not guilty.
Immediately after the verdict was handed down, Menendez faced calls from within his own party to resign, including from the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer.
"In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Majority Leader Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement at the time.
Menendez's resignation avoids the prospect of an ugly battle in the U.S. Senate to try and expel him from the chamber, and brings to an end a Washington tenure lasting three decades.
Should he step aside, it will be up to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who also called on Menendez to resign, to appoint his replacement ahead of November's election. New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim handily won the Democratic nomination to replace him, though Menendez had mounted an independent bid to try and hold on to his seat. Hotelier Curtis Bashaw won the Republican nomination.
Murphy wrote in a post on social media that he received Menendez's resignation letter and will pick a replacement in due course.
"Today I received a letter from Senator Bob Menendez informing me of his intention to resign effective August 20, 2024," Murphy wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to the United States Senate to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.