Senator Bob Menendez may pursue a strategy in his upcoming trial where he attributes blame to his wife, according to a court document unsealed on Tuesday following efforts by news organizations, to make it public.
This potential line of defense was submitted earlier this year under seal, before the judge ruled that Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, would face separate trials due to her undisclosed medical condition.
The senator’s trial is set to commence on May 6 in Manhattan federal court.
In the court filing, defense attorneys indicated that Menendez might testify in his defense and suggest that his wife withheld information from him, leaving him unaware of any alleged illegal activities on her part.
“While 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, 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,” the filing stated.
Menendez faces accusations of accepting cash, gold bars, and other benefits from New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors to benefit the businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
