By Kerry Picket
The Justice Department indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife on Friday for allegedly accepting bribes of close to $600,000.
The bribes allegedly came between 2014 and 2021 from an oil and gas firm owned by the Azerbaijani government and a bank based out of Mexico City. The payoff, according to federal prosecutors, went through a Texas-based shell company owned by Mr. Cuellar’s wife, Imelda Cuellar.
In exchange for the cash, the Texas Democrat agreed to push the interests of the Azerbaijani government and the bank in the U.S., the indictment said.
“Cuellar promised to use the power and prestige of his office to advance Azerbaijan’s and Foreign Bank-1’s interests in the United States,” the Justice Department claims.
According to the indictment, Mr. Cuellar agreed to influence legislation that helped Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the U.S. House.
The Justice Department said the couple surrendered to authorities on Friday and were taken into custody.
Mr. Cuellar, who was previously co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, said in a statement earlier Friday that he was “innocent of these allegations.”
“Before I took any action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm,” he said. “The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people.”
He also defended his wife of 32 years, saying she is “an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees [who] spent her career working with banking, tax, and consulting.”
“The allegation that she is anything but qualified and hard-working is both wrong and offensive,” Mr. Cuellar said.
The indictment was expected. Mr. Cuellar has been under legal and political scrutiny since Federal officials raided his residence in 2022.
Last month, Mr. Cuellar’s lawyer insisted the congressman was not the target of any probe.
In the statement, Mr. Cuellar said he attempted to talk with prosecutors “to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or to hear our side.”
Christie Stephenson, spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, said that Mr. Cuellar will take leave as the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee’s homeland security subcommittee.
“Henry Cuellar has admirably devoted his career to public service and is a valued Member of the House Democratic Caucus,” she said. “Like any American, Congressman Cuellar is entitled to his day in court and the presumption of innocence throughout the legal process.”
Mr. Cuellar is pro-life and one of the most moderate House Democrats.
He said he is “running for re-election and will win this November.”
His district, which extends from San Antonio to the border, was won by President Biden by seven points in 2020. House Democratic leaders endorsed Mr. Cuellar last year. However, he narrowly won his primary in 2022 over a more liberal opponent.