Convicted New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez (DN.J.) says he plans to appeal his guilty verdict on 16 charges ranging from bribery and extortion to obstruction of justice “all the way” to the Supreme Court, if necessary.
Menendez said in a letter dated July 23 to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and the Senate confirmed, that he will resign from the Senate effective Aug. 20, but is not admitting any guilt.
Instead, Menendez said he plans to appeal the verdict, but cited concerns that he will not be able to fully preserve his legal rights if the Senate Ethics Committee conducts an adjudicatory review, which would likely result in a recommendation to expel or censure the senator from office. New Jersey.
“While I intend to fully appeal the jury’s verdict, including to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to engage in a protracted process that will undermine its important work,” he wrote.
“Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon successful appeal because factual issues before the ethics committee are not privileged,” he explained. “This is evidenced by the fact that the committee’s staff director and chief counsel were called to testify at my trial.”
Menendez, who was appointed to his Senate seat in 2006 to finish the term of Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), said he is proud of the “many accomplishments I have had on behalf of New Jersey,” such as leading the federal effort to help the state recovering from Superstorm Sandy.
The Senate Ethics Committee announced Monday that it would begin a judicial review of Menendez’s conviction, which would lay the groundwork for future votes to expel or censure the senator.
Ethics Chairman Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Vice Chairman James Lankford (R-Okla.) said in a joint statement that the committee expected to “complete the adjudicatory review immediately.”
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