Newly minted felon New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has told allies that he plans to resign following his conviction on federal bribery charges, according to a report Wednesday.
NBC News, citing two unnamed sources “directly familiar with those conversations,” reported that the three-term Democrat voiced his intent to call it quits.
Menendez, 70, was convicted by a Manhattan federal jury Tuesday of 16 counts for trading his political power to benefit three Garden State businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar in exchange for hundreds of thousands in cash, gold bars and gifts.
He refused to say whether he would step down while leaving court Tuesday — even as Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on him to resign.