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Bob Menendez: Rumors of My Resignation Greatly Exaggerated

The New Jersey senator, fresh off his bribery conviction, is refuting a report that he has firm plans to resign his seat in Congress.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is pushing back on reports that he has decided to resign his seat in Congress a day after he was found guilty on 16 felony corruption charges. The embattled senator spoke to CBS News on Wednesday night, just hours after NBC News reported that he’d quietly told allies he planned to give notice. “I can tell you that I have not resigned nor have I spoken to any so-called allies,” Menendez said, according to the network. “Seems to me that there is an effort to try to force me into a statement. Anyone who knows me knows that’s the worst way to achieve a goal with me.” Around that time, The New York Times reported that Menendez had told friends he was considering resigning. Two people familiar with his private conversations said he was still weighing his options, while a third said he’d indeed made up his mind to call it a day.