One of the most conservative members of the House Democratic caucus — and its only avowed opponent of abortion — has been indicted on charges that he and his spouse accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from foreign interests.
Henry Cuellar has represented his San Antonio-area district since 2004 but has been under a cloud of suspicion for the last two years following FBI raids on his home and office. In the 54-page indictment unveiled Friday, federal prosecutors accuse of him accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars as "an agent of the Government of Azerbaijan" and bank based in Mexico City.
"The bribe payments were laundered, pursuant to shame consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by [Cuellar]," the indictment states. In return, prosecutors say Cuellar promised "to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan," a former Soviet republic rich in oil and gas.
In a statement, Cuellar said he and his wife, who face the potential of decades behind bars, "are innocent of these allegations," without specifying what those allegations are. "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 said.
A self-styled centrist, Cuellar has long angered pro-choice activists. Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL Pro-Choice America have labeled him "the last anti-abortion Democrat in the House." He has also joined Republicans in attacking President Joe Biden's handling of immigration.
But, indicted or not, Cuellar is set to be the Democratic candidate this November after winning an uncontested primary in his solidly blue district. The last time he faced a competitive challenge was in 2022, the same year as the FBI raids, when he defeated progressive candidate Jessica Cisneros by fewer than 300 votes. At the time, Cuellar enjoyed the backing of Democratic leaders.
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