New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez may offload the blame for his Egyptian bribery scandal onto his wife, Nadine, recently unsealed court documents reveal.
While the senator's trial is scheduled to begin on May 6, Nadine will not appear in court until this summer due to an unspecified "serious medical condition."
Documents that were made public after a group of media organizations petitioned Judge Sidney H. Stein indicate that Bob Menendez's legal strategy may depend on delineating his actions from those of his wife.
"These explanations, and the marital communications on which they rely, will tend to exonerate Senator Menendez by demonstrating the absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez's part," the court filings read according to The Hill.
"They may inculpate Nadine by demonstrating the ways in which she withheld information from Senator Menendez or otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place."
Menendez has pleaded not guilty a litany of felony charges, including bribery, extortion, conspiracy and obstruction of justice after federal prosecutors accused the senator and his wife of trading influence for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash and gold bars.
Prosecutors allege that Menendez conspired with the Egyptian government and a group of New Jersey businessmen, to enrich all involved parties while also increasing Cairo's influence in Washington, D.C. The senator remains in office, even though many officials - most vocally Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman - have called on him to step down.
This is not Menendez's first brush with legal trouble. In 2015, he was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and making false statements. The case ended in a mistrial and all charges were dropped, however, the Senate Ethics Committee "severely admonished" Menendez for his actions. It was not until 2018 that Menendez began his relationship with Nadine.
