Bob Menendez

Bob Menendez
Official portrait, 2022
United States Senator from New Jersey
Incumbent
Assumed office January 17, 2006 Serving with Cory Booker
Preceded by	Jon Corzine
Committee positions 2009–⁠2023 Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee In office February 3, 2021 – September 22, 2023 Preceded by Jim Risch Succeeded by Ben Cardin In office February 1, 2013 – January 3, 2015 Preceded by John Kerry Succeeded by Bob Corker Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee In office February 6, 2018 – February 3, 2021 Preceded by Ben Cardin Succeeded by Jim Risch In office January 3, 2015 – April 2, 2015 Preceded by Bob Corker Succeeded by Ben Cardin Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 Leader Harry Reid Preceded by Chuck Schumer Succeeded by Patty Murray
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 13th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 16, 2006
Preceded by	Frank Joseph Guarini
Succeeded by	Albio Sires
House positions 1999–⁠2006 Chair of the House Democratic Caucus In office January 3, 2003 – January 16, 2006 Leader Nancy Pelosi Preceded by Martin Frost Succeeded by Jim Clyburn Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2003 Leader Nancy Pelosi Preceded by Barbara B. Kennelly Succeeded by Jim Clyburn
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 33rd district
In office March 4, 1991 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Christopher Jackman
Succeeded by	Bernard Kenny
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 33rd district
In office January 12, 1988 – March 4, 1991
Preceded by	Jose Arango Ronald Dario
Succeeded by	Louis Romano
Mayor of Union City
In office May 20, 1986 – November 15, 1992
Preceded by	Arthur Wichert
Succeeded by	Bruce Walter
Personal details
Born	Robert Menendez (1954-01-01) January 1, 1954 (age 70) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Menendez for Senate (2024)
Spouses	Jane Jacobsen ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 2005)​ Nadine Arslanian ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	Alicia and Rob
Education	Saint Peter's University (BA) Rutgers University–Newark (JD)
Signature
Website	Senate website
Bob Menendez's voice Bob Menendez speaks on the repeal of the 2002 AUMF against Iraq Recorded March 16, 2023
Criminal information
Conviction(s)	Bribery (2 counts) Wire fraud (3 counts) Extortion (3 counts) Obstruction of justice Being a public official acting as a foreign agent Conspiracy (7 counts)[a]
Date apprehended	September 22, 2023

Robert Menendez (/mɛˈnɛndɛz/; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006.^[1] A member of the Democratic Party and the Cuban–American lobby, he was first appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Jon Corzine, and chaired the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 2013 to 2015, and again from 2021 to 2023. On July 16, 2024, he was convicted in a political corruption case.^[2][3]

In 1974, at the age of 20, Menendez was elected to the Union City School District's Board of Education. He received degrees from Saint Peter's University and Rutgers Law School. In 1986, he was elected mayor of Union City. In 1988, while continuing to serve as mayor, he was elected to represent the state's 33rd district in the New Jersey General Assembly and, within three years, moved to the New Jersey Senate, upon winning the March 1991 special election for the 33rd Senate district.

The next year, Menendez won a seat in the House of Representatives and represented New Jersey's 13th congressional district for six two-year terms, from 1993 to 2006. In January 2006, he was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Jon Corzine (who had been elected governor of New Jersey) and was elected to a full six-year term in November; he was reelected in 2012 and 2018.

In 2015, Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges; the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and the charges were dropped in 2018. In April 2018, the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics "severely admonished" Menendez for accepting gifts from donor Salomon Melgen without obtaining committee approval, for failing to disclose certain gifts, and for using his position as a senator to advance Melgen's interests.

In September 2023, Menendez was again indicted on federal corruption charges that he aided and provided sensitive information to the government of Egypt.^[4][5] He stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but refused to resign from the Senate and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, despite calls to resign from numerous state and congressional Democrats, including 30 of his Senate colleagues. In an October 2023 indictment, Menendez was charged with conspiracy to act as a foreign agent of the Egyptian government;^[6] a superseding indictment in January 2024 also accused Menendez of working for the government of Qatar.

In March 2024 he was indicted again for obstruction of justice.^[7] While Menendez declined to run for the Democratic Party's nomination in New Jersey's 2024 U.S. Senate election, he is running as an independent under the party name "Menendez for Senate".^[2] In July 2024, Menendez was found guilty of all 16 charges in his federal corruption trial.^[8] He is the first sitting member of U.S. Congress to be convicted of conspiracy by a public official to act as a foreign agent.^[3] Menendez has told WCBS-TV correspondent Christine Sloan that he has no plans to resign, refuting NBC News' report that he will resign.^[9][10][11]

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).