For months, the New Jersey senator has been facing trial for conspiracy to commit bribery, accused of trading political power for wads of cash, a luxury car, and gold bars.
A 12-member jury on Tuesday found Senator Bob Menendez, 70, guilty on all 16 counts in his federal corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.
“I am deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision. I have every faith that the law and the facts will not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal,” Menendez told reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday. “I have never violated my public oath.”
Prosecutors said the New Jersey lawmaker abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, Nadine Menendez. This involved acts such as meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping the country access millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.
“Throughout this trial, you have heard that everyone is to blame but Menendez,” prosecutor Paul Monteleoni said, accusing the once highly influential senator of “trying desperately to pass the buck.”
At the end of a nearly six-hour closing statement delivered over two days, the prosecutor repeated the phrase “blaming his wife” five times to remind jurors that Menendez’s lawyers have claimed that Nadine “sidelined” him from the scheme and stashed the gold bars in her safe without his knowledge.
Menendez, who faces sentencing on October 29, maintained that he has never been anything “but a patriot of my country and for my country.”
“I have never, ever been a foreign agent, and the decision rendered by the jury today would put at risk every member of the US Senate in terms of what they think a foreign agent would be,” he said.
"His years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end."
New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks after Sen. Bob Menendez is found guilty on all counts in corruption trial. pic.twitter.com/cdrqyr6kbi
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 16, 2024
Menendez was seeking reelection to the Senate as an independent, although the guilty verdicts quickly raised the prospect of an expulsion vote unless he opts to resign from office. He has already faced calls to resign from his former Democratic allies in New Jersey and on Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement saying, “Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.”
Democratic Senator Jack Reed said on X, “He had his day in court and got a fair trial. The jury has spoken. Senator Menendez has been found guilty and should resign.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy shared on X, “Today’s verdict[…]demonstrates that the Senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office. In America, everyone – no matter how powerful – is accountable to our laws.”
The calls for his resignation are the latest in a series of similar appeals, dating back to 2017 when Menendez faced a separate set of corruption charges.