Sen. Menendez to resign. Hear who could replace him

(CNN) — Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey will resign his seat effective August 20, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by CNN.

In July, Menendez was convicted of 16 counts — including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent — for his role in a yearslong bribery scheme.

Tuesday’s developments mark a major moment in the New Jersey senator’s dramatic political downfall and will bring an end to his scandal-plagued tenure in the Senate. Menendez had faced mounting pressure from within his own party to resign or face the threat of expulsion from the Senate.

Receipt of Menendez’s resignation letter was announced Tuesday on the Senate floor in a brief exchange between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Presiding Officer Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is expected to appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of Menendez’s term, which ends on January 3, 2025.

Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw are set to face off in the November general election for the seat. Menendez, who had been up for reelection this year, had previously filed to run as an independent. Menendez did not immediately say whether he still intends to run as an independent.

Menendez has represented New Jersey in Congress as a Democrat since being elected in 1992, first as a US representative and then as senator.

Menendez, who faces sentencing on October 29, has maintained he never violated his public oath and has said he has never been anything “but a patriot of my country and for my country.”

“Obviously, I’m deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision,” Menendez told reporters outside the courtroom after he was found guilty. “I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal.”

In the aftermath of the conviction, calls for Menendez to resign grew louder, with Schumer among the voices on Capitol Hill urging the senator to step down.

“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 statement.

Menendez stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year, but had long rejected calls to resign his US Senate seat.

Schumer told CNN that he will “defer to the Ethics Committee,” as to whether Menendez can continue to receive classified briefings until his official resignation date. The Senate Ethics Committee announced Monday that they had initiated a review of Menendez’s alleged rules violations.

A lengthy legal battle

Prosecutors successfully argued that the senator tried to use his power to advance Egyptian military interests, interfere in criminal prosecutions and secure investment from Qatari officials, among other things. Menendez and his wife allegedly received gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible and other bribes in exchange for his influence.

The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged in the case, but her trial was postponed indefinitely by the judge after her breast cancer diagnosis. She has pleaded not guilty.

The most serious charges of extortion and wire fraud carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on each count. In all, Menendez faces a maximum of 222 years in prison for the 16 charges if served consecutively. However, any sentences would run concurrently unless the court orders otherwise.

Menendez has served in the Senate since 2006 – and this was not the first time he had faced a legal battle. Menendez was charged by federal prosecutors in 2015 with conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud relating to allegedly abusing the power of his office. At the time, prosecutors said the senator accepted more than $600,000 in political contributions, a luxurious hotel suite at the Park Hyatt in Paris, and free rides on a private jet from a wealthy ophthalmologist, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in exchange for political favors.

The corruption trial ended in a mistrial in November 2017 after the jury reported it was deadlocked. Both men denied all of the charges.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Manu Raju, Ted Barrett and Owen Dahlkamp contributed to this report.

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