Amid mounting calls from Democratic colleagues to step down in the aftermath of his conviction on federal bribery charges, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez said Tuesday that he will resign in August.
Menendez was found guilty last month of taking gold and cash from a trio of New Jersey businessman for favorable treatment and acting as a foreign agent of the Egyptian government. The longtime senator from New Jersey will leave his seat on Aug. 20, the New Jersey Globe reported first on Tuesday.
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who had been among those urging Menendez to resign, is expected to appoint a replacement to stand in until the end of Menendez's term in January. The seat is up for grabs in the November election in a race between Democratic Congressman Andy Kim and Republican businessman Curtis Bashaw.
Mendendez, who withdrew from the Democratic primary, had planned to make a run as an independent before his conviction.
The New York Times reported Murphy could appoint his wife, Tammy, to take over for Menendez until the winner of the election takes office in January. Tammy Murphy was a Democratic candidate for the seat, but dropped out of the race before the primary in June.
Sentencing for Menendez, 70, is scheduled to take place Oct. 29. The most serious of his 16 offenses carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison, and he could be sentenced to as many as 222 years that would be served concurrently.
Nadine Menendez, the senator's wife, also was charged in the case but had her trial postponed indefinitely due to her diagnosis with breast cancer. She pleaded not guilty.
Calls from Democrats for Menendez to step down grew louder in recent days. Although he maintained his innocence, he reportedly told his closest allies that he intended to resign after his conviction. He has served in the Senate since 2006 and represented New Jersey in the U.S. House before that beginning in 1992.
Menendez previously was charged with bribery and conspiracy in 2015 for allegedly taking money and lavish gifts from a wealthy Florida ophthalmologist in exchange for political favors. That corruption trial ended in a hung jury in 2017.
