Democratic Senator Bob Menendez reported that his wife, Nadine Menendez, has breast cancer.

The announcement comes a day after the Democratic legislator's lawyers accused her of receiving bribes behind her husband's back in the trial she faces for corruption, obstruction of justice and serving as a foreign agent.

"He didn't know about the dealings Nadine had," Weitzman said of Menendez. "You can't just assume that Bob knows about them."

Nadine Menendez will have a separate trial for the same facts in July. She will face charges of bribery and corruption. The judge split the case against the couple into two due to Nadine's medical problem, which had not been detailed at the time.

The senator assured on Wednesday that his wife has grade three cancer and that she will undergo a mastectomy. "She will require follow up surgery and possibly radiation treatment," said Menendez, who also said he was praying "for the best results."

He also explained that Nadine, 57, had asked him to make his illness public because of the "constant press inquiries" and asked for respect for the family's privacy during surgery and recovery.