DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, was convicted Tuesday of federal corruption and bribery charges, Fox News reported.
Menendez, who was indicted March 5, was convicted by a jury on all counts over his involvement in a bribery and corruption scheme with three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government.
The indictment was brought following an investigation and search of Menendez’s New Jersey home, where authorities found over $480,000 in cash hidden throughout the property, a luxury vehicle purchased for his wife by the businessmen, and over $100,000 in gold bars, according to the indictment.
Following the verdict, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Menendez to resign his seat.
“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 said in a post on X.
[Menendez later said he would appeal.]
The New Jersey Democrat’s wife, Nadine Menendez, who was indicted and charged alongside her husband, has had her trial postponed indefinitely.
Prior to his latest indictment, Menendez had been the focal point of several other indictments and investigations throughout his career.
In 2006, Menendez was under investigation by the then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie for allegedly helping secure federal grants for a nonprofit that was simultaneously paying Menendez about $300,000 of rent over a nine-year period, according to Politico. Prosecutors eventually closed the case in 2011 without pursuing charges.
A year later, in 2012, Menendez campaign donor Joseph Bigica pled guilty to making nearly $100,000 in illegal contributions to the second-term senator, The Star-Ledger reported. The Menendez campaign was not accused of any wrongdoing and pledged to donate the contributions to charitable organizations.
Menendez had also previously been indicted in 2015 for conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud after an investigation alleged that Menendez accepted $1 million worth of lavish trips, gifts, and campaign contributions from Salomon Melgen, a longtime friend and donor, in exchange for visa applications for Melgen’s girlfriends and influence over Medicare billing disputes that were worth approximately $8.9 million.
Menendez claimed that these were simply gifts from a personal friend; a hung jury forced a mistrial, eventually favoring an acquittal in November 2017.
“The conviction of Sen. Menendez in Washington is monumental. He was one of the untouchables,” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said in a post on X. “Despite long being viewed as corrupt, Menendez wielded power with abandon for his own benefit.”
Despite his legal track record, Menendez opted to stay in the race for his Senate seat.
On March 21, Menendez announced that he wouldn’t run as a Democrat; he officially filed as an independent candidate June 3. Menendez is running against Rep. Andy Kim, a fellow Democrat, and Republican candidate Curtis Bashaw.
“I reiterate my call for Sen. Menendez to resign immediately after being found guilty of endangering national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement on X.
“If he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel him,” Murphy said. “In the event of a vacancy, I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.”