N.J. Sen. Bob Menendez will resign following bribery conviction

Longtime U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey will resign Aug. 20, he said Tuesday in an announcement that came days after most of his Democratic colleagues called on him to step down following a federal bribery conviction.

Menendez was convicted last week of several schemes in which he sold the powers of his office in exchange for such gifts as cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes.

Gov. Phil Murphy will appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of Menendez’s term through January.

The news followed a cascade of Democratic colleagues, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), calling for Menendez’ resignation last week and as talks of expelling him ramped up. Two top New Jersey Democrats — Murphy and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker — said the Senate should vote Menendez out if he did not resign, which would have been the first time a senator was expelled in more than 150 years.

Booker, once a top Menendez ally, had said he would lead the process. On Monday, Senate Democrats initiated a formal review that could have yielded an expulsion vote.

In a letter to Murphy, Menendez wrote Tuesday that while he intends to appeal the jury’s verdict, he does not “want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work.”

He said he was proud of his accomplishments in New Jersey, including leading the state’s recovery in 2012 following Hurricane Sandy and “leading the federal efforts” to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In the letter, Menendez reminded Murphy: “These successes led you, Governor, to call me the ‘Indispensable Senator.’”

The resignation caps a stunning fall for Menendez, 70, the former chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee now guilty of bribery, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent. He was convicted in multiple schemes, including accepting bribes from Egyptian officials and helping them access U.S. aid.

In brief remarks outside the courthouse last week, Menendez maintained his innocence and his lawyers said they would appeal the conviction. In his letter Tuesday, the senator said he was committed to appealing “all the way and including to the Supreme Court.”

» READ MORE: From gold bars to a pricey car: All the bribes Sen. Bob Menendez has been accused of accepting over the years

Menendez’s resignation is likely to doom his shots of winning back his seat. The three-term incumbent did not run in the Democratic primary election earlier this year, but last month filed paperwork to run as an independent.

If he stays on the ballot, he will face U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, who won the Democratic primary, and Republican Curtis Bashaw in November. Menendez has until Aug. 16 to remove his name from the ballot. Polls have shown Menendez is unlikely to win, but some Democrats worry he could siphon votes from Kim.

In a post to X on Tuesday, Kim said Menendez “made the right decision for New Jersey by agreeing to step down next month.”

“It’s time for New Jersey to move forward,” he added. “We have big challenges ahead of us, and we can only tackle them if we show the people of our state that this is the beginning of a new era of politics built on integrity, service, and delivering for all families.”

Kim has said he would accept an appointment to the seat if Murphy selected him, meaning he would finish Menendez’s term and still run for election to replace him.

In a statement Tuesday, Bashaw urged Murphy to appoint a “caretaker” instead, as to “not give either candidate the advantage of incumbency in this election.”

Menendez is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29, a week before the election.