Bob Menendez plans to run as an independent for the Senate

ABC News has learned that New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez plans to file a petition by the end of the day Monday to run for U.S. Senate in the Garden State as an independent candidate.

The deadline for submitting signatures is Tuesday at 4 p.m., which is also the date of New Jersey’s partisan primaries. Independent candidates need 800 signatures to get on the ballot for the New Jersey US Senate general election.

Menendez decided not to run for New Jersey’s Democratic Senate primary while under indictment. He said in March that he would not seek another term as a Democrat, but left open the possibility of running in November as an independent.

“I will not file for the Democratic primary this June,” he said in a video statement at the time. “I hope that my exoneration will come this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election.”

ABC News has reached out to Menendez’s campaign and office for comment.

In a statement to ABC News, Rep. Andy Kim, who is running in the Democratic Senate primary and entered the race last fall in response to Menendez’s accusation, wrote: “Americans are tired of politicians putting their own personal benefit before what is right. Everyone knows that Bob Menendez is not running for the people of New Jersey, he is running for himself, there is more time for change and I am taking a step to restore integrity to the US Senate.

The New Jersey Globe was the first to report on Menendez’s plans.

Menendez’s corruption trial is currently ongoing. The New Jersey politician is accused of accepting cash, gold bars, luxury watches and other perks from New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors benefiting the businessmen and governments of Egypt and Qatar.

Menendez, 70, has denied any wrongdoing and called the accusation “overzealous.”