More from the article...

... Menendez was not required to resign due to the conviction.

Following the guilty verdict, several political leaders called for Menendez's immediate resignation, including Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Schumer said at the time.

Sen. Cory Booker, Menendez's New Jersey counterpart, and Murphy had also joined in the calls for his immediate resignation. Murphy said at the time that he would call on the U.S. Senate to expel him if the senator refused to resign and make a temporary appointment in the event of a vacancy. ...

@#2 ... Is there some reasonable expectation on Menendez's part of a break of some sort from the judge ...

For what I've read, the Judge often considers how the defendant treats the verdict when the Judge is assigning the sentence.

imo, that's why so many of the J6 defendants expressed remorse for what they did during sentencing. They seem to know they were screwed, and were trying to reduce the penalty for doing what they were ruled to have done.