Intention to resign from the National Assembly in August… Good news for Kim
U.S. Democratic senator Robert Menendez (70, New Jersey), who was convicted of bribery, announced on the 23rd (local time) that he would resign from his seat next month. Andy Kim (42, pictured), a member of the House of Representatives who is running in the November Senate election to become the first Korean-American senator from this region, is expected to temporarily succeed him, increasing his chances of being elected.
According to the New York Times (NYT), on that day, Rep. Menendez sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, saying, “I intend to appeal the guilty verdict, but I do not want to be involved in a lengthy (judicial) process that would interfere with the important work of the Senate,” and announced that he would resign on the 20th of next month.
Menendez, who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was indicted last year on charges of accepting bribes from foreign governments including Egypt and Qatar and passing on diplomatic information or acting as their agent. On the 16th, a jury found him guilty on 16 counts of bribery in Manhattan federal court. Governor Murphy announced that he would quickly appoint a successor to fill Menendez’s remaining term, which ends in January of next year.
If Rep. Kim, who won the Democratic primary for the New Jersey U.S. Senate in June, is appointed as the successor, the first Korean-American U.S. Senate candidate will be born before the election. There is analysis that Rep. Kim will have an advantageous position if he runs for election as an incumbent, which will increase his chances of being elected. New Jersey is a traditional Democratic stronghold.
Reporter Easy An easy@segye.com
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