Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey has announced his resignation from the US Senate after being convicted of accepting bribes, including gold bars, to help foreign governments. The Democrat had been facing calls to step down, including from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and his resignation comes as the Senate’s ethics committee began a review on his expulsion.
Menendez, who was found guilty on 16 counts related to corruption, faces decades in prison. Despite maintaining his innocence and vowing to appeal the conviction, he is set to be sentenced on October 29th. His resignation, effective from August 20th, will allow him to collect at least another month of his Senate salary and health insurance.
The 70-year-old senator, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 and later appointed to the Senate in 2006, was accused of accepting bribes from businessmen seeking to influence the Qatari and Egyptian governments. The trial revealed FBI agents found cash and gold bars in his home, leading to his conviction.
Menendez’s resignation opens up a vacancy in the Senate, with New Jersey Representative Andy Kim winning the Democratic nomination to run for his seat. The senator’s wife, Nadine, who is undergoing cancer treatment, had bribery and obstruction charges against her postponed indefinitely.
As Menendez prepares to step down from his position, the political landscape in New Jersey is set to shift, with potential implications for the upcoming elections.
