New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is set to resign from his position, effective August 20.
This follows his conviction on 16 felony charges, including bribery, extortion, and acting as a foreign agent. Menendez, a seasoned politician who once held the reins of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was found guilty earlier this month.
As reported by The Independent, Menendez was accused of accepting extravagant bribes from three New Jersey businessmen. In return, he allegedly used his political influence to sway criminal investigations and secure lucrative deals in their favor, some of which involved officials from Qatar and Egypt. Despite initial resistance to calls for his resignation from his Democratic colleagues, sources close to the matter revealed that Menendez plans to announce his resignation as early as Tuesday.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were indicted alongside businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, and Jose Uribe in September. The extensive indictment accused Menendez of accepting a variety of bribes, including gold bars, cash, jewelry, car payments, and mortgage payments. Prosecutors claim that Menendez assisted Hana in securing a favorable deal for his Halal meat-certifying business and aided Daibes in obtaining funding for his residential skyscraper development project through a member of the Qatari royal family.
The indictment also alleged that Menendez provided Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman, with highly sensitive information about the US embassy in Cairo. This information was then allegedly passed on to an Egyptian official. Furthermore, Menendez is accused of ghost-writing a letter on behalf of the Egyptian government, requesting his Senate colleagues to release a hold on $300m in US aid to Egypt.
The legal proceedings took a turn when Uribe accepted a plea deal with prosecutors, and Nadine's trial was separated from Menendez's due to her recent breast cancer diagnosis. This indictment marks the second time Menendez has been embroiled in a corruption scandal, with the first incident in 2015 ending in a mistrial.
Following the indictment, Menendez relinquished his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. However, he continued to assert his innocence and expressed his intention to pursue a fourth term as an independent candidate. This stance was challenged when a jury found him guilty of corruption, bribery, acting as a foreign agent, and more in July. High-ranking members of the Democratic Party, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, called for Menendez to step down.
Despite the conviction, Menendez continues to maintain his innocence and has stated his intention to appeal. He potentially faces decades in prison, with his sentencing scheduled for October 29.
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