New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has reportedly told allies that he will resign from Congress after being convicted on federal corruption charges.
The news comes a day after the embattled senator was convicted on all 16 counts against him.
On Tuesday, following news of the convictions, multiple Democrats called on Menendez to resign or face expulsion, with New Jersey Senator and longtime ally Cory Booker saying in an interview that if Senator Menendez refuses to resign, he will lead the effort to expel him from the U.S. Senate, saying “it is the just thing to do.”
If Menendez does step down, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will appoint a senator to temporarily finish out his term, which ends in January 2025.
In the race to replace Menendez, Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw are running in the November general election. Menendez had filed to run for the seat as an independent and said he would continue the campaign if exonerated.
Appointing Kim to the seat now would give the state an advantage, as seniority in the Senate is determined by time served, meaning Kim would have a few months over the Senators getting in November.
New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1972.
Two years from now someone will step out say was accidentally accepted donation or a clerical error! It’s happening all the time !
Thats great news. Problem is he is a Senator. So resigning from Congress isn’t going to do much