Former Senator Bob Menendez barred from holding public office in New Jersey
Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez has been permanently disqualified from holding public office or any position of public trust in New Jersey following his federal convictions, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy, the Mercer County assignment judge, issued the order barring Menendez from any state or local office or position of honor, trust, or profit. Under the ruling, Menendez would face a fourth-degree contempt-of-court charge if he seeks public employment, runs for office, or takes any steps toward appointment or election.
Menendez, a veteran Democratic senator and former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was convicted July 16, 2024, in federal court in New York after a nine-week trial. A jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice. He was sentenced in January 2025 to 11 years in prison.
“Critical to preserving the public’s faith and trust in government institutions is ensuring that elected officials who commit crimes involving their offices don’t find new opportunities to regain positions of power,” Platkin said. “We hope the court’s decision sends a message that it is not acceptable and it will carry consequences.”
Federal investigators found that Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes between 2018 and 2022 — including gold, cash, a luxury convertible and home furnishings. In return, Menendez agreed to use his influence in Washington to advance the interests of the bribe payers and take official actions benefiting foreign governments, including Egypt.
The disqualification order was obtained by Deputy Attorney General Adam Klein, special assistant to the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability’s executive director, under the supervision of Corruption Bureau Director Jeffrey Manis and OPIA Executive Director Eric Gibson.
Krystal Knapp is the founder of The Jersey Vindicator and the hyperlocal news website Planet Princeton. Previously she was a reporter at The Trenton Times for a decade.