Multiple outlets reported that Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez resigned his seat in the Senate on Tuesday, according to multiple outlets. Following his conviction in a corruption case involving three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government, the Senate Democrat announced his resignation. Gov. Phil Murphy has indicated that he will replace Menendez with George S. Helmy, a healthcare executive and his former chief of staff.
The Associated Press reported that a federal court found Menendez guilty of taking actions that would benefit the Egyptian government in exchange for bribes, including writing a letter to his fellow senators advocating for sending military aid to Egypt and providing the foreign government with personnel data related to the U.S. embassy in Cairo. Federal authorities found over $100,000 worth of gold bars and $480,000 in cash hidden in the senator’s home. Federal authorities also found over $100,000 worth of gold bars and $480,000 in cash.
After his conviction, Menendez said that he was deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision and that he would be moving forward with an appeal. Menendez said he has always been a patriot and has never been a foreign agent. The Democrat’s resignation comes after sources told the New York Post that he was negotiating a pardon with President Joe Biden in exchange for dropping out of the Senate race.
“He’s likely trying to get a pardon or a reduction in his sentence,” an anonymous New Jersey political operative told the Post. “Bob Menendez doesn’t do things without getting something back, and at this point I would think he would want to get out of the way to spare his kids the embarrassment, and maybe even help his wife.”
The Post reports that Menendez’s sentence in October could see him face upwards of two hundred years behind bars. Menendez was convicted of helping one person who bribed him get a multimillion-dollar investment deal with a Qatari fund and another secure a contract to provide religious certification services for meat to be exported to Egypt.
