Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife were indicted for allegedly accepting close to $600,000 in bribes in two schemes meant to benefit an Azerbaijani state-owned energy company and an unnamed bank based in Mexico, court papers showed.
The indictment, returned by a grand jury on Tuesday and unsealed on Friday, said the bribes were laundered through sham consulting contracts into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, the congressman’s wife, from December 2014 through at least November 2021.
In exchange, it says Henry Cuellar sought to use his public position to influence U.S. foreign policy in Azerbaijan’s favor and to pressure U.S. government officials to help the Mexican bank lobby against anti-money laundering enforcement policies and payday lending regulations that threatened its business.
One of the most conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives, Cuellar is seeking an 11th two-year term in the Nov. 5 election. He represents a Texas district that borders Mexico and includes Laredo and parts of San Antonio.
Republicans pay attention to this part.
This guy is a Democrat. I’m a liberal.
I say, Lock this guy up for the crimes he committed. I don’t care that he’s from my same political leaning. Country over party.
I just said the same thing to a Republican friend of mine. I want to know all criminals are convicted of crimes they committed. Rich, poor, Republican, Democrat… They should all be charged, tried, and convicted just the same.
Would have been nice if dems didn’t help him win last election when these allegations were first coming out
Whatever punishment he gets should be doubled because he is in a position of power.
This guy had a primary challenger last election.
The party threw its weight behind Cuellar because a corrupt anti-choice anti-labor nra stooge like Cuellar is preferable to any progressive.
And not just “threw its weight” as in said they support their incumbents. Multiple members of the leadership team recorded robocalls for him. Jim Clyburn flew down to Texas to campaign for him in the primary! He won that primary by 289 votes.
Yup. And in the next district over, a progressive actually won the primary and was facing off against a maga chud.
The party cut her funding during the last month before the election. During a campaign season in which the party bought ads for maga candidates.
Wait what? Links please, I live about as far as you can geographically get from Texas in the US but love hearing about DNC shifty shit
Sure thing. Here’s an article about the party cutting Michelle Vallejo’s funding:
And here’s one about how the party would rather spend its money:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/12/democrats-interfere-republican-primaries/
Progressives have to fight their own damn party and their corporate interests, it’s frustrating.
The swamp is thick and full of many dangers.
One of the most conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives, Cuellar is seeking an 11th two-year term in the Nov. 5 election. He represents a Texas district that borders Mexico and includes Laredo and parts of San Antonio.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Cuellar would be stepping down as the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee while the case is pending.
Clock’s ticking there, DNCC.
Hakeem Jeffries, notably a donor to Cuellar’s primary campaign against a young progressive woman after Cuellar’s house was raided by the FBI in Jan. 2022 related to these corruption charges. Then Hakeem Jeffries endorsed him again in Aug. 2023, more than a year before his next election. Wonder if the endorsement still stands.
