Top Democrats call on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign following guilty verdict
Menendez remains a sitting senator and he has thus far resisted calls to resign.
Within minutes, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez went from presumed innocent to “permanent embarrassment.”
Following the New Jersey senator’s conviction Tuesday on charges of selling the power of his office in exchange for luxe bribes like cash, gold bars, and a car, a flurry of his fellow Democrats called on him to get out of the Senate.
That includes Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had previously resisted calling on Menendez to resign. In a brief statement shortly after the jury announced its verdict, Schumer said Menendez must “do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.”
» READ MORE: Bob Menendez verdict: Will he have to resign? How much prison time is he facing? What happens next?
Moments later, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, said if Menendez refuses to go, the Senate should vote to expel him. If Menendez’ seat were to be vacated, Murphy would appoint a replacement to serve through January.
“Today’s verdict finding Senator Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts demonstrates that the Senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office,” Murphy said in a statement.
Other Democrats followed, including Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), who said Menendez should face expulsion. Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) reiterated a previous call for his colleague to resign.
So did Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, who said in a statement Menendez’ legacy is cemented “as a permanent embarrassment to New Jersey as one of the most corrupt elected officials to ever serve in a state that has unfortunately had its share of bad actors.”
» READ MORE: From gold bars to a pricey car: All the bribes Sen. Bob Menendez has been accused of accepting over the years
In brief remarks outside the courthouse following the verdict, Menendez maintained his innocence and said he would pursue an appeal. He did not answer questions about whether he would step down.
Following his indictment, more than half of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate said he should resign. Menendez resisted those calls and, if he continues to do so, could create a sticky situation for Senate Democrats who control the chamber with a narrow majority and will face pressure to expel him.
Menendez did not run for reelection in the Democratic primary earlier this year, but filed paperwork to run as an independent in November. U.S. Rep. Andy Kim won the Democratic primary and is favored to win in the November general election because Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state.
Despite facing years in prison, Menendez may still run and could, in theory, be a spoiler for Kim if he performed well. Menendez has until August 16 to remove his name from the November ballot.
» READ MORE: New Jersey’s embattled Sen. Bob Menendez filed to run as an independent in November election
Kim also on Tuesday repeated a previous call for Menendez to resign, saying in a statement that he is unfit to serve and that the “people of New Jersey deserve better.”
“This is a sad and somber day for New Jersey and our country,” Kim said in a post on X.
Kim’s Republican opponent Curtis Bashaw, a developer from Cape May County, said the verdict was an indication that “we can’t keep sending the same old career Democratic insiders to Washington and expect different results.”
A senator for nearly two decades, Menendez is the former chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Following a nine-week trial, he was found guilty of bribery in multiple schemes, of using his committee chairmanship for his own benefit, of obstructing the investigation into him, and of acting as a foreign agent.
The verdict comes less than six years after Menendez escaped conviction in another bribery case in which the jury deadlocked. In that case, prosecutors alleged he accepted gifts, flights, and campaign contributions from a Florida eye doctor who sought official help from Menendez’ that would benefit his business.
Following that case, which prosecutors declined to re-try, Menendez’ political career largely survived. But after the latest indictment, his colleagues — and constituents, according to polls — lost faith in him.
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Patrick Murray, director of The Polling Institute at Monmouth University, said that following the verdict, Menendez’ days in politics are likely over — appeal or not.
“It’d be very hard for people to believe, even if there was a mixed verdict, that there wasn’t something going on there with the images of the gold bars and the Mercedes and everything else that went along with it,” Murray said.
Menendez is the former mayor of Union City and his first major foray into politics was when he challenged his former mentor who was himself ensnared in a corruption case. He was the head of the Democratic party in the politically influential Hudson County, and he served for 14 years in the U.S. House before taking his seat in the Senate in 2006.
Inquirer staff writers Julia Terruso, Andrew Seidman, and Jeremy Roebuck contributed reporting.