NJ Sen. Menendez To Resign, Gov. Murphy Confirms

NEW JERSEY — U.S. Senator Robert Menendez will resign from his seat on Aug. 20, Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

"Today, I received a letter from Senator Bob Menendez informing me of his intention to resign effective August 20, 2024," Murphy said in a written statement. "I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to the United States Senate to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve."

Menendez agreed to step down after coming under pressure from other Democrats, the New York Times and NBC News reported.

It was not immediately known who Murphy might appoint.

Menendez was convicted July 16 on 16 charges in a federal bribery and corruption trial of accepting bribes, including gold bars and cash, of using the power of his office to protect allies from prosecution, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt for official actions to benefit Qatar and Egypt. He is set to be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces decades in prison, though he has vowed to appeal.

Menendez did not testify over the nine-week trial, and had pleaded not guilty along with his two co-defendants. The 70-year-old has maintained his innocence, insisting publicly that he was only doing his job as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He had resisted calls from Democrats both within New Jersey and nationally to resign from the Senate, including Murphy, Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Andy Kim, the Democratic nominee for Menendez's seat.

Murphy had said after the conviction that Menendez's fellow senators should vote to expel him should he continue to hold office. Read more: After Conviction, Sen. Menendez Remains Defiant: 'Never Been Anything But A Patriot'

Menendez's decision to resign comes on the heels of the decision by President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential campaign, after nearly three weeks of criticism following the June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump.

Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president and she has received a wave of support in the aftermath.

A Senate fight to remove Menendez had the potential to be a drag on the party and Menendez had been under pressure from Democratic colleagues to step down to avoid it, the New York Times report said.

Menendez was elected to Congress in 1992 after serving as mayor of Union City and in the New Jersey Legislature. He served in the House of Representatives until he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and had become chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez also had been tried in 2018 on corruption charges but that case ended in a mistrial.