Sen. Robert Menendez To Resign After Being Convicted Of Bribery, Corruption Charges

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) will resign effective Aug. 20 following his conviction Tuesday  for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

Menendez submitted his resignation to the Senate on Tuesday. 

Menendezs plan to resign was initially reported by the New Jersey Globe  and The Washington Post.  The senators office did not immediately return HuffPosts request for comment.

Menendez was found guilty of all 16 counts against him Tuesday at his federal corruption trial for accepting bribes of gold and cash from several New Jersey businessmen. The trial also found he was acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.

In an indictment in the Southern District of New York, unsealed in September, the senator was found to have  taken bribes including $100,000 in gold bars and $480,000 in cash in return for official acts aiding an Egyptian American businessman and the Egyptian government.

A search of the senators home by federal agents revealed cash stashed in clothing bearing Menendezs name, along with gold bars elsewhere in the residence.

Investigators also found that in October 2021 , the senator conducted a web search asking how much is one kilo of gold worth and then later searched kilo of gold price.

Menendezs resignation will come after 44 Senate Democrats called on him to step down or risk getting expelled.

In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said minutes after Menendez was found guilty.  

Hours after the bombshell indictment last year, Menendez stepped down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez was previously indicted on bribery charges  in 2015 for allegedly attempting to help a doctor accused of committing Medicare fraud. In 2017, his trial ended with a deadlocked jury.

Menendez faces up to decades in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 29. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.