Bob Menendez
Bob MenendezMichael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

A jury on Tuesday found Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial, CNN reported.

Menendez was convicted of 16 counts — including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent — for his role in a yearslong bribery scheme.

Menendez was initially charged with three counts related to using his political power to aid the government of Egypt and pressure state and federal prosecutors investigating New Jersey businessmen.

Later, federal prosecutors unveiled a superseding indictment against Menendez which alleges he accepted race car tickets and other gifts from Qatar as part of a yearslong corruption scheme.

“Obviously, I’m deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision,” Menendez told reporters outside the courtroom on Tuesday. “I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal.”

Menendez, who faces sentencing on October 29, maintained he never violated his public oath and has never been anything “but a patriot of my country and for my country.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had previously refused to weigh in on whether Menendez should step down, immediately released a statement after the verdict was announced, saying that Menendez “must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.”

If Menendez does not resign, it would take a two-thirds vote in the Senate to remove him. He has already said he will not run for reelection in the Democratic primary for his Senate seat, but left open the possibility that he could run as an independent candidate.