WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez told CBS News on Wednesday he had no plans to resign after being convicted of corruption charges, refuting an earlier report saying he told allies he was going to quit.
NBC News, citing two people familiar with the conversations, reported earlier that Menendez told allies he was going to resign.
“I can tell you that I have not resigned nor have I spoken to any so called allies … 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,” Menendez told CBS News on Wednesday.
Pressure has been growing on Menendez, of New Jersey, to step down following his conviction on Tuesday on all 16 criminal counts he faced including bribery at his federal trial in Manhattan.
Senior Democrats including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker quickly called on Menendez, who has served in the Senate since 2006, to resign from the chamber.
Menendez remained defiant after the verdict, telling reporters outside the courthouse that he would appeal, though he did not answer questions about resignation.
The senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and car and mortgage payments from three businessmen who wanted his help, according to prosecutors.
In exchange for bribes, Menendez helped steer billions of dollars in American aid to Egypt, where one of the businessman, Wael Hana, had ties to government officials, prosecutors added.
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