US Senator Bob Menendez reveals wife’s breast cancer amid corruption trial
US Senator Bob Menendez disclosed that his wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer, a day after his lawyers attempted to shift blame onto her in his corruption trial.
Menendez faces allegations of accepting bribes, including gold bars, in return for aiding three New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Nadine Menendez, 57, who married the 70-year-old senator in 2020, is a co-defendant but will be tried separately. Both deny the charges, which pose a significant threat to Menendez’s career.
In a statement on Thursday, Menendez revealed that his wife will undergo a mastectomy due to her Grade 3 breast cancer diagnosis. He mentioned that she requested the disclosure because of persistent press inquiries and reporters following her.
The bribery trial against Bob Menendez continued with FBI agent Aristotelis Kougemitros testifying on Thursday. He described needing reinforcements to count over $486,000 in cash found during a raid at the Menendez home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The money was hidden in various items, including a Burberry bag, a brown paper bag, a yellow plastic bag, five jackets, a small black duffle bag, and Timberland boots.
Additionally, the FBI seized 11 mini-gold bars and two 1kg gold bars, which were shown to the jury. Kougemitros remarked on the large volume of bills, indicating that they were too numerous to count by hand.
In opening statements, prosecutors said Mr. Menendez, who has been a senator since 2006, had “betrayed the people he was supposed to serve for bribes”.
They alleged that the cash and gold bars found in his home were gifted to him by Egyptian officials for political favors in Washington.
Prosecutor Lara Pomerantz also accused Mr Menendez of receiving a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for interfering with a criminal case involving Egyptian-American businessman Wael Hana, who is a co-defendant in the case.
Mrs Menendez is accused of being the go-between in these bribes.
Avi Weitzman, a lawyer for Mr Menendez, maintained his client took no bribes and did not violate the law. He added that some of the gold bars belonged to Mrs Menendez.
During opening statements on Wednesday, Mr Weitzman sought to shift fault to the senator’s wife, saying she had “kept him in the dark” on financial matters, and that the couple had separate bank accounts.
Lawyers for the other co-defendants in the case, Mr. :-* Hana and New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes – who is accused of giving cash and gold bars to Mr. Menendez – told the court that their clients are long-time close friends of Mrs Menendez and that they often traded gifts.
“Don’t let them say that every gift is a bribe,” said Lawrence Lustberg, a lawyer for Mr Hana.
Mr Menendez was the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than five years, which gave him sway over US foreign policy. He was removed as chairman after he was charged.
He has been charged with 16 felony counts, including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent, and faces prison time if convicted.
Mrs Menendez is due to be tried in July on bribery and corruption charges.
In 2017, Mr Menendez went on trial for criminally accepting favours from a Florida doctor, but that ended in a mistrial.
