Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement:

“This is a dark, painful day for the people of New Jersey. 

“Representing people in Congress demands the public’s trust. When any elected official violates that trust, it is a betrayal of the oath we take to serve the people who’ve elected us. Without that trust, our ability to do our work and perform our duties for our constituents is compromised.

“Senator Menendez was afforded his due process rights and mounted a full defense in a court of law, as every criminal defendant has the constitutional right to do. This verdict means that a jury of Senator Menendez’s peers, sworn to be impartial, reviewed the evidence and unanimously concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that he had broken the law.

“I call on Senator Menendez to resign. I originally did so last fall because of the severity of the allegations against him and how they shook the public’s trust. Now, with this conviction, the urgency for Senator Menendez to step down and for the governor to appoint a replacement has even more urgency.”