'Corrupt Agent' Menendez Must Resign Today Or Be Expelled: Hoboken Mayor Bhalla

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla joined several local officials in calling on U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez Sr. — who grew up in Union City and once lived in Hoboken — to resign following a guilty verdict Tuesday in his federal bribery trial.

“Now that a jury of his peers has finally confirmed what we've all known for months — that Robert Menendez is nothing short of a corrupt agent of a foreign government, shamelessly pocketing bribes to enrich himself — it is absolutely critical that he resign, today," Bhalla said.

He added, "If he does not, the US Senate should immediately expel him."

Neighboring Mayor Steve Fulop also released a statement calling upon Menendez to resign. Recently, Fulop released a position paper on how to "root out corruption" in New Jersey. Read about that here.

The state's attorney general, Matthew Platkin, said, "The conviction of a sitting United States Senator for bribery, extortion, and serving the interests of foreign powers, among other offenses, represents a sad day for our sate and our country. The jury’s verdict also serves to underscore the importance of prosecutor’s offices — like the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District — who have the difficult but critical job of holding powerful people who abuse the public’s trust accountable for their misconduct."

Earlier this year, the senator said he believed he would be exonerated of the charges that he had been bribed by an Egyptian businessman and others. He said in a video that he might run for re-election as an independent, rather than seeking the Democratic nomination for his seat, which ultimately went to Rep. Andy Kim.

Bhalla had run againt the senator's son, incumbent Rep. Rob Menendez Jr., for the Democratic nomination to the Congress seat in June, but lost. The younger Menendez has not been implicated in his father and stepmother's indictments.

Read about the indictments against Menendez and his wife here.