New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez , who was found hiding over $100,000 in gold bars during a federal raid at his home, has told his pals he will resign from his seat after being convicted of bribery earlier this week , NBC News reported Wednesday. Menendez, who is the first sitting member of Congress convicted of acting as a foreign agent, faces 36 years behind bars.
Facing calls to resign for the better part of a year, Menendez finally relinquished on Wednesday, a day after he was found guilty on federal corruption charges . New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and dozens of Senate Democrats, including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, have called for his ouster from Congress, and have threatened him with expulsion should he not comply voluntarily.
Menendez seemed to relent in the wake of the guilty verdict, according to NBC News, which reported the senator was calling key allies to inform them of his intention to resign, ending his three-decade-plus career in Congress. One person Menendez is likely to call is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who released a statement following Menendez’s guilty verdict requesting his resignation. “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” the statement read.
In September, Schumer announced Menendez would step down as chairman of the Foreign Relations panel “until the matter has been resolved,” but had n.