Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has announced his intention to resign next August so that the United States Senate “does not become involved” in a judicial process that has declared him guilty of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. , as well as using his influence to favor New Jersey businessmen and the Government of Egypt.
“Although I have every intention of appealing the jury’s verdict to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to become embroiled in a long process that diminishes the importance of its work,” Menendez wrote in a letter sent to the governor of New Jersey and to those responsible for the Senate and which has been reported by the newspaper ‘The Washington Post’.
Although his spokesperson, Joshua Natoli, has refused to comment on this information, sources close to the senator have confirmed to the CNN television network and the Axios news portal that he will leave his position on August 20. .
Menendez pleaded not guilty to the charges in September 2023 along with three co-defendants, businessmen Jose Uribe and Fred Daibe, as well as his wife, Nadine Menendez. A fifth person involved, businessman Wael Hana, has already claimed his innocence before the court.
Federal agents found nearly $500,000 (475,800 euros) in cash at the senator’s home — including wads of bills in jackets — after a search by security forces as part of the investigations into the plot.
The Democratic senator had already resigned from his position as head of the commission in 2015 after being accused in New Jersey of having accepted bribes from a Florida doctor, a case that led to a mistrial due to the lack of a unanimous verdict by the jury. .
