Cunningham’s Wife Says She Felt Deceived

The wife of disgraced former congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham felt deceived about the extent of her now-estranged husband’s corruption, she said in her first public interview since the scandal broke last year.

Nancy Cunningham told New Republic magazine that she didn’t question junkets paid for by defense contractors because other senior congressional figures, including Speaker Dennis Hastert, joined in.

“How can it be illegal or unethical if the most important man in Congress is doing it?” she asked interviewer Kitty Kelley, a celebrity biographer.

Duke Cunningham, who held seats on powerful House intelligence and appropriations committees, resigned from Congress in November. He was sentenced in March to more than eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes.

Nancy Cunningham, 54, said in the Aug. 28 issue of the magazine that it was her husband’s greed that led to his downfall.

“He grew tired of everything he collected and always wanted more,” she said.

But she dismissed luxury items given to him as bribes -- including yachts, homes and antique furnishings -- as “not that great” and described their $2.55-million estate as “a fixer-upper.”

Cunningham compared herself to former First Lady Pat Nixon.

“After Richard Nixon’s scandal, she internalized his shame to such an extent that she suffered a stroke and died a miserable death,” she said. “He got to live long enough to somewhat vindicate himself, but Pat Nixon got nothing. I will not let that happen to me.”

She repeatedly called her husband Mr. Cunningham. “It’s mental distancing. As far as I’m concerned, he no longer exists,” she said.

The Cunninghams have been married since 1974 and have two daughters. Her attorney, James Macy, said the pair have been separated since July 2005, when FBI agents raided their Rancho Santa Fe home.

She said she had told her husband to review his transactions with the House Ethics Committee, and accused congressional staffers of keeping her in the dark about his activities.

“I feel they deceived me all along about what he was doing,” she said.

She is suing the federal government to recover a share of the financial settlement that Cunningham forfeited to the federal government as part of his plea agreement.

Her attorneys say they believe her case will be settled in early September. Federal prosecutors involved with the case did not return a message left seeking comment.

Duke Cunningham’s attorney, K. Lee Blalack II, declined to comment on the New Republic article.