Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) called on Senator Bob Menendez (DN.Y.) to resign from the Senate after a New York jury convicted him of 16 counts of bribery, extortion and wire fraud of honest services.
“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.
The Democratic leader, however, stopped short of threatening to bring an expulsion resolution to the Senate floor, which could be approved by an overwhelming majority, given the seriousness of the crimes.
Menéndez is expected to appeal the verdict, according to legal experts. His sentencing is scheduled for October 29 and he could face decades in prison.
Schumer earlier this year refused to call for Menendez to resign, despite more than half of the Senate Democratic Conference urging him to step down after federal prosecutors accused him of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in money, gold bars and other gifts.
Menendez voluntarily agreed to resign as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September after prosecutors revealed the allegations.
“The Senate has certain standards that we must meet. I am very disappointed that Senator Menendez did not live up to those standards,” Schumer told reporters in March.
The leader repeated this phrase several times when asked about Menendez’s continued participation in confidential briefings and private meetings.
The veteran New Jersey senator has missed Senate work in recent weeks to attend his criminal trial in New York.
Rep. Andy Kim (DN.J.), the Democratic Senate candidate in New Jersey, joined Schumer in calling for Menéndez to leave his seat immediately.
“This is a sad and dark day for New Jersey and our country. Our public servants are supposed to work for the people, and today we saw the people judge Senator Menendez as guilty and unfit to serve,” Kim said in a statement.
“I called on Senator Menéndez to resign when these allegations were first made public, and now that he has been found guilty, I believe the only course of action for him is to immediately resign from his position. The people of New Jersey deserve better,” he said.
Updated at 1:49 p.m.
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