Sen. Bob Menendez to resign after federal corruption conviction

Menendez, D-N.J., on Tuesday provided New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy with notice that he would resign from the U.S. Senate next month. The New York Times published a copy of the letter. Earlier this month a Manhattan jury convicted Menendez on 16 charges including bribery, wire fraud, and extortion.

What is Menendez going to do after his retirement? Menendez on Tuesday told Murphy that he planned to appeal his conviction. He didn’t want the Senate’s important work to suffer while he fought his conviction, Menendez said. Before he resigned, Menendez’s staff would transition to other positions and transfer pending constituent files, the senator added. The governor would also have time to appoint his replacement before he left office.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about Menendez’s conviction earlier this month.