Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has been convicted of all counts in his federal corruption trial.

Prosecutors said the New Jersey Democrat accepted bribes, including gold and cash, from multiple businessmen and acted as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.

“Three New Jersey businessmen who were also charged, along with the governments of Egypt and Qatar, were the alleged recipients. Two of those co-defendants, Wael Hanna and Fred Daibes, were also convicted of all counts they faced,” ABC News reports.

Per ABC News:

The jury deliberated for about 13 hours over three days.

Menendez pleaded not guilty to 16 federal charges including bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent and obstruction.

Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer called for his resignation immediately after the verdict.

“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” he said.

Menendez will be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces decades in prison.

“Today’s verdict finding Senator Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts demonstrates that the Senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office. In America, everyone – no matter how powerful – is accountable to our laws,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.

Murphy also called on the senator to immediately resign.

WATCH:

“I am deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision. I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision,” Menendez said.

WATCH:

From the Associated Press:

The jury’s verdict followed a nine-week trial in which prosecutors said the Democrat abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping that country access millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.

As the verdict was read in court, Menendez, 70, looked toward the jury at times as he appeared to mark a document in front of him. Afterward, he sat resting his chin against his closed hands, elbows on the table.

Menendez did not testify at the trial, but insisted publicly he was only doing his job as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He said the gold bars found in his New Jersey home by the FBI belonged to his wife, Nadine Menendez. She too was charged but her trial was postponed so she could recover from breast cancer surgery. She has pleaded not guilty.

 

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