Menendez could face expulsion from Senate after conviction

(The Center Square) — Democratic senators are gearing up to force New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez from office following his conviction this week on federal charges if the embattled lawmaker doesn't step down.

Menendez, 70, was convicted by a New York City jury on Tuesday of 16 counts of bribery, extortion, fraud and acting as a foreign agent. Federal prosecutors say Menendez and his wife, Nadine, accepted gold, cash, a Mercedes Benz and other bribes in exchange for using his political influence to benefit the Egyptian and Qatari governments and business associates. He faces decades in prison.

Menendez has vowed to appeal the guilty verdict and has — so far — declined to cede to demands from top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, to step down.

New Jersey's other U.S. senator, Democrat Cory Booker, has issued an ultimatum to Menendez: resign from the post or be forced out of office by a Senate expulsion vote.

"He must stand up now and leave the Senate. He must do that," Booker, a longtime Menendez ally, told MSNBC in an interview. "And if he refuses to do that, I will lead that effort to make sure that he’s removed from the Senate. It is just the thing to do."

Other Democrats, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, have called on the Senate to force an expulsion vote following Menendez's conviction. Murphy would be responsible for naming a temporary replacement if Menendez resigns or is forced out.

Several media outlets report that Schumer could call for a Menendez expulsion vote as early as next week when the Senate returns to formal sessions.

A two-thirds vote would be needed to expel Menendez, but a single senator, including the senator himself, could block the effort. Only 15 senators have been forced out by expulsion votes, many of them during the Civil War when lawmakers expelled several colleagues over their allegiances to the confederacy. Some have resigned before a vote is taken.

Meanwhile, the Senate Ethics Committee, conducting a formal investigation into Menendez's actions, has said it “will consider the full range of disciplinary actions available under the Rules of Procedure," including expulsion.

Menendez has six months remaining in his term and has been sending mixed signals since Tuesday's verdict about whether he will step down.

NBC News reported on Thursday that the embattled senator was telling his allies that he plans to resign from his post, but he later refuted that report in interviews with other media outlets.

Before his conviction, Menendez had vowed to run for reelection as an independent after bailing from the state's Democratic primary, which Rep. Andy Kim won. Republican Curtis Bashaw, a hotel developer, is also running for the Senate seat.