Menendez Must Forfeit State Pension, Dunn Says

MORRIS COUNTY — He’s finished. August 20 marks the end of Sen. Bob Menendez’s decades-long political career. Forced to resign from the seat he held for 18 years after losing his party’s backing, Assemblywoman Aura Dunn says he should also lose his state pension.

“Bob Menendez used his position as a Senator to line his pockets, apparently quite literally, while doling out political favors,” Dunn (R-Morris) said. “His actions are a disgrace to the esteemed offices he occupied, and he should not receive one more tax dollar from the constituents whose trust he has finally and completely shattered.

Elected or appointed officials convicted of crimes involving their government office would forfeit their pension under Dunn’s bill (A4430). Menendez, who served as mayor of Union City and as a state assemblyman before ascending to Congress in 1993, currently draws a $1,066-per-month state pension, which he has done since 2019, on top of his $139,200 annual salary as Senator.

In July, a jury convicted Menendez on 16 federal charges ranging from bribery, fraud, obstruction, and acting as a foreign agent. Federal prosecutors accused him of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes—including cash, a Mercedes-Benz, and gold—for political favors. His wife, Nadine, was also charged, but the judge indefinitely delayed her case.

In response, Democrats, including fellow New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Gov. Phil Murphy, called for Menendez’s resignation immediately following his conviction on July 16. However, he refused and instead declared his intent to run as an “independent Democrat” when Congressman Andy Kim secured the Democratic nomination for his seat in the June primaries.

The beleaguered Senator abandoned his reelection bid by mid-August and was replaced by Murphy’s former chief of staff, George Helmy. Under the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007—a bill he voted for—Menendez will lose his federal pension.

“In his pursuit of corrupt power and wealth, he forfeited it all, including his legacy,” Dunn said. “No one who abuses his or her office in such a way should ever expect to receive benefits for a service marred by criminal acts.”

Menendez will be sentenced on October 29.