Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) and his wife have been indicted on bribery charges. The Department of Justices charges that Rep. Cuellar used his office to influence U.S. policy for Azerbaijan.
The Justice Department released an indictment today against Rep. Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, charging the two with bribery and money laundering related to their connection with a bank in Mexico as well as an oil gas company that's controlled by Azerbaijan. Rep. Cuellar and his wife both face 14 counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery of a federal office, wire fraud, money laundering, and acting as foreign agents.
The Justice Department's indictment accuses Rep. Cuellar and his wife of accepting almost $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled oil and gas company and a bank in Mexico between 2014 and 2021. After allegedly accepting the money, Rep. Cuellar is alleged to have agreed to "influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan," as well as agreeing to advance the bank's interests in the U.S.
Rep. Cuellar and his wife maintain innocence, and the Texas Democrat affirmed their innocence in a statement released ahead of the indictment.
"I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas," he said. He added that he and his wife "requested a meeting with the Washington D.C. prosecutors to explain the facts, and they refused to discuss the case with us or to hear our side."
Christie Stephenson, a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D) announced that "Congressman Cuellar will take leave as Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee while this matter is ongoing."
In 2022, Rep. Cuellar's home was the subject of an FBI raid related to a probe into the country of Azerbaijan and U.S. businessmen.
