New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez’s spouse, Nadine, is being handled for breast most cancers and can endure a mastectomy, he introduced Thursday.
Sen. Bob Menendez’s spouse, Nadine, is being handled for breast most cancers and can endure a mastectomy, the New Jersey pol introduced Thursday — a day after his lawyer threw her below the bus at his federal bribery trial.
The analysis was revealed in a press release from the veteran Democrat as he appeared in Manhattan federal court docket on corruption fees associated to an alleged years-long bribery scheme.
“We’re after all involved concerning the seriousness and superior stage of the illness,” Menendez, 70, mentioned within the assertion.
The information got here after legal professionals for the three-term Backyard State senator told jurors Wednesday that Nadine, 57 was accountable for the stash of gold bars discovered on the couple’s Englewood Cliffs dwelling by the feds final 12 months.
Nadine Menendez can also be charged within the case, however her trial was postponed at least until July after her attorneys mentioned final month she had an undisclosed well being concern that required surgical procedure.
The embattled senator mentioned Nadine requested him to go public with the information now “because of fixed press inquiries and reporters following [her].”
He mentioned she has been recognized with “Grade 3 breast most cancers” and after the mastectomy “she would require follow-up surgical procedure and presumably radiation remedy.”
The duo is accused of accepting 13 gold bars price $150,000, lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} in money, a Mercedes convertible and different luxurious presents as bribes.
In alternate, Bob Menendez allegedly used his political energy to do favors for 3 New Jersey businessmen and acted as a international agent for the governments of Qatar and Egypt.
He and Nadine have each pleaded not responsible to the crimes.
Menendez is at present standing trial with two co-defendants, businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes.
Hana’s lawyer Lawrence Lustberg mentioned in his personal opening assertion Thursday that prosecutors’ allegations are based on “harmless acts” — arguing that his consumer had by no means bribed the couple for favors from Menendez.
Lustberg mentioned that Nadine and Hana had been buddies since 2009 and that they’d given one another dear presents throughout that point.
Equally, Cesar De Castro, a lawyer for Daibes, mentioned that the senator and his consumer had been buddies for roughly 30 years and prosecutors had been making an attempt to take advantage of that truth.
After, the primary witness known as within the trial was FBI agent Aristotelis Kougemitros — who headed the raid on the Menendez dwelling in June 2022.
He described how brokers seized 52 gadgets included gold bars present in a closet, over $400,000 in money, jewellery and cellphones.
On Wednesday, Menendez’s legal professional Avi Weitzman advised jurors his consumer had no concept the gold bars had been in his dwelling, claiming it was Nadine who had “sidelined” the senator and brought the alleged bribes with out his information.
“[Nadine] saved Bob sidelined. Nadine had these relationships lengthy earlier than she met Bob,” he mentioned, portray an image of a married pair who lead separate lives — together with having their very own financial institution accounts and telephone plans.
The trial is at present slated to final by way of July.
Nadine has not been in court docket for her husband’s trial to this point.
Her lawyer, David Shertler, declined to remark.
With Put up wires
