Democratic New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, who is currently on trial for corruption and bribery charges, announced his wife Nadine has breast cancer in a statement Thursday.
“As a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife, she has asked me to disclose her medical condition. Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery,” Menendez said in the statement.
“We are of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease. She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results. We ask the press and the public to give her the time, space and privacy to deal with this challenging health condition as she undergoes surgery and recovery.”
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) implicated both Menendez and his wife, Nadine, in a September indictment which included Menendez and his wife allegedly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from agents of the Qatari and Egyptian governments. (RELATED: ‘Completely Smitten’: Ana Navarro Seemingly Pins Bob Menendez’s Legal Troubles On His Wife)
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez leaves his arraignment on a new 18-count indictment that added obstruction charges to bribery and other corruption charges that the New Jersey Democrat already faced, at Manhattan federal court in New York City, U.S., March 11, 2024. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Menendez and his wife allegedly accepted cash, gold bars and a luxury car in exchange for an agreement to use his official position to protect and enrich three other co-conspirators who are linked to the Egyptian and Qatari governments, the indictment claims.
Investigators searched Menendez’s New Jersey residence and allegedly uncovered over $480,000 in cash as well as gold bars worth at least $100,000, according to the DOJ indictment.
Some of the cash was allegedly found stuffed into envelopes that contained “fingerprints and/or DNA” of one of the indicted alleged co-conspirators, Fred Daibes, who is alleged to have worked on behalf of the Egyptian government.
Menendez and his wife also face separate charges for obstruction of justice according to a DOJ indictment filed in March.
Nadine Menendez will face trial for her charges on July 8, according to ABC News. Both Senator Menendez and his wife have maintained their innocence, while Senator Menendez called the prosecution “overzealous,” according to ABC News.