What Comes Next for Robert Menendez?

Good morning. It’s Tuesday. Today we’ll take a closer look at the trial of Senator Robert Menendez, who with his wife, Nadine Menendez, was accused of taking bribes of cash, gold and a Mercedes-Benz in a case that the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York said was about “shocking levels of corruption.”

Credit…Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times

It has now been a week since Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey was convicted on corruption charges that grew out of what prosecutors said was an international bribery scheme. The verdict — guilty on all 16 counts against him — further tarnished the career of a once-powerful lawmaker who had stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after he was indicted. I asked Tracey Tully, who covered the case for the Metro desk, to analyze the trial and assess Menendez’s future.

Will he resign?

We have been told that he’s discussed his options, including resignation, with a small, trusted circle of friends and family members. It would be an obvious conversation to have.

He is about five months away from the end of his third six-year term in the Senate. A jury found him guilty of 16 federal crimes. And even though he and his lawyers are expected to ask a judge to vacate the conviction and, if needed, pursue an appeal, he has lost the confidence of his congressional colleagues and of New Jersey voters, 75 percent of whom told pollsters that they believed he was “probably guilty” — even before the trial started.

Is he daring the Senate to expel him?

The Senate hasn’t expelled a member since 1862. In the 20th century, four of the 10 senators who faced expulsion resigned first, avoiding the ignominy of an ouster vote by colleagues.