Senator Bob Menendez convicted
A slew of senior Democrats demanded the resignation of US Senator Bob Menendez on Tuesday after his conviction on all counts following a nine-week federal corruption trial in New York City.
A jury found the 70-year-old former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee guilty of 16 charges, including accepting bribes of cash, gold, and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen, and acting as an overseas agent for Egypt.
Shortly after the verdicts were read, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Menendez’s fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker urged him 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.
In a post on Twitter/X, Booker called the conviction “a dark, painful day for the people of New Jersey.”
Alluding to his previous demand for Menendez’s resignation, Booker said: “I originally did so last fall because of the severity of the allegations against him and how they shook the public’s trust. Now, with this conviction, the urgency for Senator Menendez to step down and for the governor to appoint a replacement has even more urgency.”
The conviction marks the remarkable downfall of a politician who was once one of the most powerful and influential Democrats in the US. Federal District Court Judge Sidney Stein set a sentencing hearing for 29 October, at which Menendez faces up to 222 years in prison.
Reporters in the courtroom said Menendez shook his head at the jury as the verdicts were announced, then clasped his hands in front of his face while leaning with his elbows on the defense table.
According to the Associated Press, Menendez and his lawyers promised to appeal as they were leaving the courtroom.
“I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country,” Menendez said. “I have never, ever been a foreign agent.”
Other leading Democrats echoed Schumer’s calls for Menendez to resign. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement that Menendez had been convicted of “brazen crimes.”
“If he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the US Senate to vote to expel him,” Murphy said. “I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.”
Andy Kim, a New Jersey congressman chosen as the Democratic candidate for Menendez’s Senate seat in November after the incumbent said he would run as an independent, was equally scathing.
“This is a sad and somber day for New Jersey and our country,” he said in a statement. “Our public servants should work for the people, and today we saw the people judge Senator Menendez as guilty and unfit to serve.
“I believe the only course of action for him is to resign his seat immediately. The people of New Jersey deserve better.”
Prosecutors said Menendez abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping that country access millions of dollars in US military aid.