(WatchDogReport.org) – The wife of Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, Nadine Menendez, will undergo a mastectomy after her diagnosis of Grade 3 breast cancer. The news comes as the couple faces a legal battle over bribery and extortion charges.
The senator released information about his wife’s health, at her request, after the “constant press inquiries.” He requested “time, space and privacy” for her from the “press and public.” In the statement about his wife’s diagnosis, the senator said the couple is concerned with “the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease.”
According to Sen. Bob Menendez, her cancer is Grade 3, which means it is more aggressive and could spread and grow fast, according to the National Cancer Institute. He noted she requires a mastectomy and could need to undergo radiation treatment.
The senator’s trial and the trials of two of the three New Jersey businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, began in New York on May 15. However, in April, Judge Sidney H. Stein delayed the start date for the trial for Nadine Menedez, who was indicted along with her husband in September due to medical concerns. She has pleaded not guilty, though it is unclear if she will be ready to stand trial in July.
The couple, along with three New Jersey businessmen, were charged with engaging “in a corrupt relationship,” taking bribes of cash, gold, home mortgage payments, and a luxury vehicle from the businessmen in exchange for the senator’s influence “to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt.
During the opening statements on the senator’s trial, his attorney, Avi Weitzman, put some of the blame for the alleged crimes on his wife, stating she was in charge of financial dealings that the senator was not aware of. His attorney said she “had financial concerns that she kept from Bob,” adding that the FBI found the gold bars in “Nadine’s closet.” His attorney also claimed the senator “took no bribes.”
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