U.S. Senator Menendez to resign after corruption conviction

U.S. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, who was recently found guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial, said on Tuesday that he would resign from Congress in late August, yielding to intense pressure from Democratic colleagues who urged him to step down, reported Xinhua.

Menendez officially announced his intention to resign in a letter to New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy, who is expected to promptly appoint a replacement who will serve until January.

Menendez, a New Jersey senator and formerly head of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had vowed to appeal the guilty verdict handed down by a federal jury in Manhattan, New York, last week.

However, as his own party quickly moved to expel him, Menendez eventually chose to avoid an ugly fight and resigned with months remaining in his term.

Federal prosecutors in New York previously alleged the Democratic senator accepted bribes in exchange for helping foreign governments. On July 16, a jury convicted Menendez of 16 federal charges including bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent and obstruction.

Prosecutors said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discovered gold bars and over 400,000 U.S. dollars in cash hidden in various locations such as jackets and shoes within his residence.

Prosecutors alleged that in return for the bribes, Menendez assisted in securing millions of dollars in U.S. aid for Egypt.

"This wasn't politics as usual; this was politics for profit," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, whose office prosecuted the case, said in a statement earlier, citing "shocking levels of corruption."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the upper chamber, immediately called on Menendez to resign from the Senate after the conviction.

"In light of this guilty verdict, Sen. Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Schumer said in a statement.

Menendez could face a lengthy prison sentence when a judge of the Federal District Court sentences him on Oct. 29.

"Mr. Menendez's continued presence in Washington would have been a distraction for a party now trying to refocus all its energy on retaining the White House and Senate," The New York Times reported.