Numerous Democratic leaders on Tuesday called for Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey politician, to resign after he was found guilty on all charges in a nine-week federal corruption trial in New York City.
The jury found the 70-year-old former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee guilty of 16 charges, including accepting bribes of cash, gold and luxury cars from three New Jersey businessmen and acting as an overseas agent for Egypt.
Shortly after the verdict was read, Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Menendez’s colleague, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, called on Menendez to resign.
“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.
in Post to Twitter/XBooker, also a Democrat, called the guilty verdict “a dark and painful day for the people of New Jersey.”
Governor Booker noted that he had previously called for Senator Menendez to resign, saying, “He first resigned last fall because of the seriousness of the allegations against him and the way they undermined the public trust in him. Today’s guilty conviction makes it even more important that Senator Menendez resign and that the Governor appoint his successor.”
The guilty verdict marked the stunning fall of a politician who was once one of the most powerful and influential Democrats in the U.S. U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein has scheduled a sentencing hearing for October 29, when Menendez faces up to 222 years in prison.
Reporters in the courtroom said Menendez shook his head at the jury as the verdict was announced and then clasped his hands in front of his face with his elbows on the defense table.
According to the Associated Press, Menendez and his lawyers promised to appeal as they left court.
“I am nothing but a patriot who loves and serves my country,” Menendez said. “I have never been a foreign agent.”
Other leading Democrats joined Schumer in calling for Menendez to resign. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy In a statement He was convicted of a “despicable crime.”
“If he refuses to step down from his position, I will ask the U.S. Senate to vote to impeach him,” Murphy said. “I will do my duty to make an interim appointment so that the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.”
Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey, who was selected as the Democratic candidate to challenge Menendez’s seat in November after the incumbent announced he would run as an independent, offered a similarly scathing critique.
“This is a sad and dark day for New Jersey and our nation,” he said in a statement. “Public servants should serve the people, and today the people have found Senator Menendez guilty and unfit for office.”
“I believe the only course of action for him is to immediately resign from Congress. The people of New Jersey deserve better.”
Prosecutors said Menendez abused the power of his office to shield associates from criminal investigations and enrich his inner circle, including his wife, by meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials to help the country receive millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.
Menendez did not testify but publicly maintained he was just carrying out his duties as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He said 13 bars of gold found by the FBI in a 2022 search of his New Jersey home belonged to his wife, as did $500,000 in cash stuffed in her jacket, closet and safe.
The guilty verdict comes four months before Election Day and could completely dash Menendez’s hopes of seeking reelection as an independent.
The senator was tried along with New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Dibes, who were also convicted of all charges against him. All three pleaded not guilty.
Another businessman pleaded guilty before trial and testified against Menendez and the other defendants.
Menendez’s wife, Nadine, was also charged, but Stein announced on Tuesday that her trial had been postponed indefinitely. Menendez said in May that she was undergoing treatment for advanced breast cancer.
A 2022 raid on the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home that Sen. Menendez shared with his wife ended with FBI agents seizing nearly $150,000 in gold bars and cash stuffed in boots and a jacket bearing the senator’s name.
During closing arguments last week, lawyers spent more than 15 hours urging jurors to carefully consider the evidence.
Prosecutors cited numerous instances of Menendez’s assistance to businessmen, arguing that his efforts to rush $99 million worth of helicopter munitions to Egypt and his close ties to senior Egyptian officials showed he served Egyptian interests on his behalf.
Menendez’s lawyers argued that he never accepted bribes and that his actions benefiting the businessmen were what is expected of a public servant. He was simply fulfilling the diplomatic responsibilities expected of him in his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position he was forced to resign after being indicted.
Menendez ran for reelection as an independent in June but announced he would continue to support the Democrats if elected. It was unclear Tuesday whether he would continue his campaign.
Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running for U.S. Senate, has also joined calls for Menendez to resign.
“In light of today’s guilty verdict, it is clear that Senator Bob Menendez must do the right thing and resign from office. His constituents and this country deserve better,” Gallego said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
