Democratic lawmakers calling for New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez' resignation are considering pursuing an expulsion vote, which would formally oust him from the chamber.
A jury on Tuesday found Menendez guilty of taking bribes and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. Shortly afterward, some of his colleagues indicated they would try to remove him from his post.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly called on Menendez to resign, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy encouraged the Senate to step in if they had to.
"He must stand up now and leave the Senate," New Jersey's other Democratic senator, Cory Booker, told MSNBC on Tuesday. "He must do that, and if he refuses to do that, many of us, but I will lead that effort to make sure he is removed from the Senate."
Only 15 senators have ever been expelled. The last vote to expel was against North Dakota's Republican Sen. William Langer in 1942, and it was not successful.
Two-thirds of the Senate must vote in favor of expulsion in order to expel a member.
Menendez, meanwhile, promised to appeal the jury's verdict, and has publicly pushed back on the case since he was indicted in September of 2023.
Prior to the trial, he refused to resign, and he announced he would run for reelection in November as an independent candidate.
"I have never violated my public oath," Menendez said outside of the Manhattan courtroom after he was found guilty on all counts. "I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country."
On Wednesday NBC News reported that people familiar with Menendez's conversations said he had told allies he would resign. Scripps News has not yet independently verified the reporting.
