Menendez announces he will resign on Aug 20, vows to appeal guilty verdict

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who was found guilty of bribery charges, filed a letter on Tuesday officially announcing that he would resign from Congress next month.

Menendez was convicted last week on all charges related to a bribery scheme during his tenure as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs committee. The charges included fraud, bribery, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction.

The senator told Congress and New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy that he would resign on Aug. 20, but also vowed to appeal the guilty verdict.

“While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work,” Menendez wrote, per The Hill. “Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters before the ethics committee are not privileged."

Menedez said he selected the date of Aug. 20 because it would give the governor time to find a replacement to serve the remainder of his term, time for him to close out his Senate office, and time for his staff to transition to other jobs.

Murphy is now expected to find a replacement for the senator, but the interim senator will only hold the office until the November elections when Menendez's term ends.

Menendez, who has served in the Senate since 2006, said he was "proud" of his accomplishments in the upper chamber, which included helping secure federal funding for New Jersey families during the COVID-19 pandemic, and helping his constituents recover from "Superstorm Sandy" in 2012.

"I thank the citizens of New Jersey for the extraordinary privilege of representing them in the United States Senate," he concluded.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.