Schumer calls for Democrat Menendez's resignation after guilty verdict
Menendez was found guilty after a nine-week trial
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for the resignation of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., on Tuesday after he was found guilty on all charges in his New York corruption trial.
"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 shortly after the verdict.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The majority leader had previously held off on calling for Menendez to step down, despite acknowledging the seriousness of the charges. However, with a conviction being handed to the New Jersey senator by a jury of his peers, Schumer appears to be comfortable making the request.
Menendez was ultimately found guilty on 16 felony counts by the 12-person jury. The charges against him included extortion, bribery, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, wire fraud, as well as acting as a foreign agent.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement, "As Leader Schumer appropriately said, Senator Menendez should do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TOP DEM REPORTEDLY DOESN’T THINK HIS PARTY WILL WIN WITH BIDEN AT THE HELM
Menendez was found guilty of all charges. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., who is running for Menendez's Senate seat in November with the Democratic Party's nomination, also called for the lawmaker to resign. "This is a sad and somber day for New Jersey and our country," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Our public servants should work for the people, and today we saw the people judge Senator Menendez as guilty and unfit to serve," Kim said. "I called on Senator Menendez to step down when these charges were first made public, and now that he has been found guilty, I believe the only course of action for him is to resign his seat immediately. The people of New Jersey deserve better."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TOP DEM PLOTS TYING SCOTUS FUNDING TO ‘ENFORCEABLE' ETHICS CODE AMID THOMAS, ALITO CONTROVERSIES
Kim is looking to succeed Menendez in the Senate. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., pointed to the verdict as evidence that everyone "is accountable to our laws."
"I reiterate my call for Senator Menendez to resign immediately after being found guilty of endangering national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system," he said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the case that Menendez does not resign, Murphy asked that the Senate "vote to expel him."
"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," he promised.
Menendez's fellow Democratic New Jersey Senator, Cory Booker, has called on Menendez to resign in the past. He did so again on Tuesday. "Now, with this conviction, the urgency for Senator Menendez to step down and for the governor to appoint a replacement has even more urgency," he said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An image captured by federal agents of gold bars discovered in Menendez's home. (United States District Court for the Southern District of New York)
In a statement following the jury's verdict, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, "Moments ago, a jury convicted Senator Robert Menendez of corruption offenses. This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz."
"This wasn’t politics as usual; this was politics for profit," he added.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Because Senator Menendez has now been found guilty, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end," Williams continued.
Members of the Senate's Democratic caucus followed Schumer's lead on Tuesday, many of them also calling for Menendez's resignation. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., were among those making and renewing calls for him to step down.