WASHINGTON — Sen. Bob Menendez, D-J., has told allies he will resign from Congress after being convicted on federal corruption charges, two people with direct knowledge of the conversations told NBC News.
After months of defiant calls from dozens of Senate Democrats for him to resign, Menendez finally appears to have softened amid the growing threat of his conviction and expulsion if he refuses to step down. Sources say Menendez is calling on his colleagues to inform them of his intention to resign, which would bring to an end a three-decade congressional career that included powerful committee chair positions, authoring major legislation and facing two criminal trials for corruption allegations.
Among those urging him to resign were Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York; Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin(D-Ill.) and Menendez’s friend, Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey.
“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must do the right thing for his constituents, the Senate and our country and resign,” Schumer said in a statement after Menendez’s latest corruption trial ended in a guilty verdict.
Menendez did not respond to requests for comment. After this article was published, he told CBS New York that he had not yet resigned and had “not spoken to any of my so-called allies.”
The senator was convicted on 16 federal charges Tuesday for using the power of his office to enrich three New Jersey businessmen and benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar. In return, prosecutors said the couple received large amounts of bribes, including “cash, gold bars, mortgage payments, compensation for work with little or no attendance, luxury cars and other items of value.”
If Menendez resigns, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, one of the Democrats who first called for his resignation, would appoint a senator to serve out his term, which ends in January 2025.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican Rep. Curtis Bashaw are running to unseat Sen. Menendez in the November general election. Sen. Menendez has filed to run as an independent and has said he will continue to campaign if acquitted.
Menendez’s political career spans nearly four decades, dating back to the mid-1980s when he was mayor of Union City. He ultimately served in the House of Representatives for 13 years before joining the Senate in 2006. He twice served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position he resigned from last year after being indicted, but remained a voting member of the committee and the Senate even as he faced accusations of abusing his power to benefit foreign governments.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were indicted in September on charges of bribery conspiracy, honest services fraud conspiracy and extortion conspiracy under public guise, according to the initial indictment against him.
A few weeks later, Menendez was indicted on charges of conspiring to accept bribes from a foreign government and acting as a foreign agent. The indictment alleges that Menendez “provided classified U.S. government information and engaged in other acts in covert support of the Egyptian government.”
Menendez has denied the charges against him and said in a statement that he faced an “aggressive smear campaign” and that prosecutors had “misrepresented the normal business of congressional offices.” He then said he would appeal the conviction.
In public comments in September, he said the $480,000 in cash that investigators found hidden in envelopes around his home was money he had saved over decades for an “emergency.”
In 2015, Menendez was also indicted on federal corruption charges over allegations that he accepted favors, including travel, lodging and political contributions, from a wealthy Florida eye surgeon. The case ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. Prosecutors gave up on retrying Menendez in 2018 after the judge presiding over the case dismissed some of the original counts.
Menendez is the first sitting senator in U.S. history to be indicted on two unrelated criminal charges, according to data compiled by the Senate Historical Office.
Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, has been one of the Senate’s most prominent advocates of immigration reform, co-authoring the “Gang of Eight,” a bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate in 2013 but died in the House. Last year, he introduced a framework for immigration reform that included creating a new path to citizenship amid ongoing concerns about the number of migrant crossings along the southern border.
In other implications for Menendez, the Senate last year unanimously passed the “No Corruption Act,” written by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), which would bar lawmakers from receiving pensions if they’ve been convicted of a felony. The bill must pass the House.
Democrats see an opportunity to stomp out Menendez and stomp down voters, demonstrating their party will not support a convicted felon holding high office in the week that Republicans nominate Donald Trump for president.
“Senator Menendez has violated the public trust and can no longer serve effectively in the United States Senate,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “I hope it never comes to this point, but if he refuses to do the right thing and resigns immediately, I will support the Senate taking action to remove him from office.”
