Wife of Sen. Robert Menendez has breast cancer, he reveals during corruption trial

• Nadine Menendez, the wife of Sen. Robert Menendez, has been diagnosed with breast cancer, the Democratic lawmaker revealed.
• "Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery," Menendez said.
• Menendez shared the health information about his wife after his defense attorney cast blame on her in the senator's corruption and bribery trial in Manhattan federal court.

Nadine Menendez, the wife and co-defendant of Sen. Robert Menendez, has been diagnosed with breast cancer, the Democratic lawmaker revealed Thursday during his trial on federal corruption charges.

“As a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife, she has asked me to disclose her medical condition," Menendez, the senior senator from New Jersey, said in a statement his office shared with NBC News.

"Nadine is suffering from Grade 3 breast cancer, which will require her to have mastectomy surgery. We are, of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease," Menendez said.

"She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment. We hope and pray for the best results," he said. "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.”

Menendez shared the health information about his wife less than one day after his defense attorney cast blame on her in the senator's trial in Manhattan federal court.

Menendez and his wife are both charged in the case alleging a yearslong scheme to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of gold bars, stacks of cash and an array of other bribes in exchange for political favors.

A judge in April severed Nadine Menendez's