Menendez Pushes Back on Resignation Report, Insists He Won’t Be Forced Out after Bribery Conviction

Senator Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) is denying a report that he told allies he plans to resign following his recent conviction on 16 felony charges related to a foreign-bribery scheme.

“I can tell you that I have not resigned nor have I spoken to any so called allies,” Menendez told CBS News Wednesday night. “Seems to me that there is an effort to try to force me into a statement. Anyone who knows me knows that’s the worst way to achieve a goal with me.”

NBC News reported earlier in the day that the embattled Democratic lawmaker planned to resign from his Senate seat, citing two anonymous sources “directly familiar with the conversations.” Menendez has consistently refused to step down, despite numerous calls from his own party to do so.

On Tuesday, a federal jury in New York convicted Menendez on 16 counts for accepting bribes — including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible — from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for help with a number of legal issues. Menendez was also found to have financially benefited from working as a foreign agent on behalf of Qatar and Egypt while serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The charges include obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent, bribery, extortion, and honest services wire fraud. The senator’s wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, faces the same charges. Her trial was delayed indefinitely.

Shortly after the 70-year-old senator was found guilty on all counts, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) called on Menendez to resign. “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer posted on social media.

In prior statements, the leading Senate Democrat had stopped short of calling for Menendez to resign, only saying he was “very disappointed” in his colleague for falling short of Senate standards.

A chorus of New Jersey Democrats, including Governor Phil Murphy and Senator Cory Booker, joined in on the calls for Menendez’s resignation. Murphy urged the Senate to hold a vote to expel Menendez if he refuses to voluntarily step down. In the case of a vacant seat, the governor has the authority to temporarily appoint someone for the position.

Menendez maintains he is innocent and plans to appeal the corruption charges, to which he pleaded not guilty last year. The New Jersey senator could face up to 222 years in prison for the 16 counts. His sentencing is scheduled for October 29.

In 2015, Menendez was indicted over unrelated federal corruption charges stemming from allegations that he accepted favors from a wealthy Florida optometrist. Two years later, the corruption case ended in a mistral after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The senator was hit with the second indictment last fall.