Democratic Representative and his wife accused of accepting bribes

 

Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife, Imelda, have been indicted on charges of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from foreign entities. The alleged scheme, which took place from 2014 to 2021, involved the congressman and his wife receiving payments from an oil and gas company owned by the government of Azerbaijan and a bank headquartered in Mexico City.

In exchange for the bribes, Cuellar allegedly agreed to perform official acts and influence US policy in favor of the foreign entities. This included giving a pro-Azerbaijani speech on the House floor, inserting language favorable to Azerbaijan into legislation and committee reports, and advocating for legislative measures that would benefit the Mexican bank.

The couple allegedly used the proceeds from the bribery schemes to pay taxes, pay down debt, and spend tens of thousands of dollars at restaurants and retail stores. One purchase was for a $12,000 custom gown.

Cuellar and his wife made their initial court appearance on Friday in Houston and were released on a $100,000 bond. They face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official, violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal, and money laundering.

Cuellar has denied the allegations, stating that he and his wife are innocent and that everything he has done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas. He also defended his wife, saying that she is qualified and hardworking, and that the allegations against her are wrong and offensive.

The actions Cuellar took in Congress were consistent with those of many of his colleagues and were in the interest of the American people, he said. He vowed to continue his bid for reelection in November.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' spokesperson, Christie Stephenson, released a statement saying that Cuellar is entitled to the presumption of innocence, but will temporarily step down from his top spot on a House Appropriations Subcommittee while the investigation is ongoing.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has called on Cuellar to resign, stating that if his colleagues truly believe in putting "people over politics," they will call on him to resign. If not, they are hypocrites whose statements about public service aren't worth the paper they're written on.

Cuellar's home and campaign office in Laredo, Texas, were raided by the FBI in 2022. The charges against Cuellar are not yet publicly available.

This is a developing story, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds. The allegations against Cuellar are serious, and if proven true, could have significant implications for his political career and the public's trust in government officials.