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Menendez's planned resignation, set for Aug. 20, comes one week after his conviction on felony corruption charges.
A jury found the Democrat guilty on all 16 counts after prosecutors accused him of giving secret information and military aid to Egypt in exchange for various favors, according to a release by the US Department of Justice.
Calls for Menendez's resignation had reached a fever pitch following his conviction and the Senate Ethics Committee was preparing an investigation that could lead to his expulsion.
"“While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work,” Menendez said in his resignation letter.
Menendez, a power broker in Hudson County and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has maintained his innocence. The senator, first appointed in 2006, had already ruled out running as a Democrat in this year's election and was planning a third party bid.
Following Menendez's resignation, Gov. Phil Murphy said he would make a temporary appointment for his seat. Rep. Andy Kim, D-NJ is the frontrunner to win the election for Menendez's seat this fall.
A search of Menendez and his wife's Harrison home and safe deposit box in June 2022 produced $100,000 in gold bars and $480,000 in hidden cash, according to the indictment. Nadine Menendez, the senator's wife, was also indicted, though her trial was delayed after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
This is the second time Menendez faced federal corruption charges. A previous trial ended in a mistrial and prosecutors declined to try the case again.
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