[FoxNews] Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., will resign from the Senate after significant pressure from Democrats to do so following a guilty verdict in his federal corruption case.
A resignation letter from the senator was entered into the congressional record on Tuesday by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who was acting as chair of the Senate.
Menendez informed Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., that he would be resigning after Aug. 20 in the correspondence, which was obtained by Fox News.
"While I fully intend to appeal the jury's verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work," he wrote, likely in reference to a recently launched Ethics Committee review and potential efforts to expel him.
The New Jersey Democrat was found guilty on all 16 counts last week, which included charges of extortion, bribery, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, wire fraud, and acting as a foreign agent. The trial lasted nine weeks and the jury deliberated for three days before reaching a verdict.
The New Jersey senator has served in the chamber since 2006 and was re-elected twice. Before being a senator, Menendez served for several terms in the House of Representatives.
"I am proud of the many accomplishments I've had on behalf of New Jersey, such as leading the federal effort for Superstorm Sandy recovery, preserving and funding Gateway and leading the federal efforts to help save our hospitals, State and municipalities, as well as New Jersey families through a once in a century COVID pandemic," he said in the Tuesday letter. "These successes led you, Governor, to call me the ‘Indispensable Senator.’"
In 2015, Menendez was indicted on charges of conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud in relation to gifts from a wealthy ophthalmologist who the government alleged he was doing political favors for in return. However, a mistrial was declared in 2017 when jurors could not agree on a verdict. By 2018, prosecutors said they would not seek to retry the senator.
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