Bob Menendez, the Democrat senior senator from New Jersey who was convicted of more than a dozen federal charges related to bribery and corruption last week, has finally tendered his resignation — effective a month from now.On Tuesday, Sen. Menendez submitted a letter to Democrat New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, announcing his resignation and declaring that it will go into effect "on the close of business on August 20, 2024," more than a month after he was convicted of conspiracy, bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent of Egypt while the senator was a chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, among other charges.He hinted in his letter that he is resigning in part because his position as a senator could compromise his chances of a 'successful appeal.' 'Factual matters before the ethics committee are not privileged.'In the letter, Menendez offered an explanation for the delay: "This will give time for my staff to transition to other possibilities, transfer constituent files that are pending, allow for an orderly process to choose an interim replacement, and for me to close out my Senate affairs."The New York Post took a more cynical view, noting that resigning on Augusts 20 allows the senator, who apparently accepted bribes of cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and even gold bars, to collect two more paychecks from the American taxpayer on his way out the door.He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29.Menendez, 70, cut his teeth in the tough world of Union City, New Jersey, politics by testifying against his mentor, Union City Mayor William Musto, for alleged corruption in the early 1980s but eventually involved himself in the same corrupt political machine, apparently.From the time Menendez was appointed to the Senate seat in 2006 by Democrat Gov. Jon Corzine, who vacated the seat after winning the state gubernatorial race, Menendez has been dogged by local and federal prosecutors, fending off accusations of funneling public funds to individuals and nonprofits in exchange for favors.Menendez likewise maintains his innocence in the recent case against him, despite the conviction, which he intends to appeal. In fact, he hinted in his letter that he is resigning in part because his position as a senator could compromise his chances of a "successful appeal." "Factual matters before the ethics committee are not privileged," he remarked. "This is evidenced by the Committee's Staff Director and Chief Counsel being called to testify at my trial."Menendez is up for re-election this November, and though he vowed not to run again as a Democrat, he is a declared independent candidate. Democrat nominee Rep. Andy Kim is expected to win the race handily, though, and Menendez has until August 16 to withdraw.Once Menendez leaves the Senate, Gov. Murphy will be allowed to appoint an interim replacement until the winner of the election takes office in January. Murphy is not expected to name Kim, in order to avoid the appearance of attempting to sway the election.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Joe Biden has been AWOL for days, dropping out of the race via a statement posted to social media rather than physically addressing the American people. Proof of life would seem to be required in a situation where the president’s health has been a notorious point of contention over the past four years — but that’s one thing the American people aren’t getting. Even stranger is that the signature on the statement doesn’t appear to match Biden’s most recent signatures, which Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” believes might mean something more sinister. “These are very recent signatures but now all of a sudden, it’s a completely different signature. Very curious. They all match up except the dropout,” Gonzales says conspiratorially. And that’s not all. “Kamala Harris dutifully played her role in this entire bait and switch,” Gonzales comments. “They were in a free fall. The campaign donations were plummeting. This was post Trump assassination attempt, the momentum had clearly shifted. We heard that Harris spoke with 300 high level Democrat donors on a phone call just two days before Joe Biden bowed out of the campaign.” Harris then went on to raise $50 million in campaign donations after Biden dropped out. Then, there’s the fact that Biden’s schedule appears to be non-existent. “All we’ve seen is he broke up with his campaign by text and promised some sort of upcoming speech,” Gonzales says. “In his statement he said ‘I will speak to the nation later in this week about my decision.’” “Isn’t it strange that Joe Biden would make the decision to drop out of the presidential race on a Sunday by a statement posted on Twitter with a signature that doesn’t match up claiming that he was going to address the nation later this week, but there’s no plan to do so yet,” she continues. “If they overthrow their elected nominee, do you trust them to have a truly open convention?” Gonzales asks. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised if they’ve proven already that they would fortify an election.” Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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