Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) insisted in a statement Friday that he’s innocent of any wrongdoing—a declaration that came mere minutes after NBC News reported that he would be indicted by the DOJ on Friday.
Cuellar, who’s represented South Texas in Congress for two decades, wrote in his statement that “everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people” and that what he did was “consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people.”
The imminent indictment may be related to a federal probe into Azerbaijan and a group of U.S. businessmen who have ties to the country. Federal agents raided Cuellar’s house and office in 2022 as part of that probe, but Cuellar tamped down the controversy by claiming he wasn’t the subject of the investigation but that he’d agreed to cooperate with authorities.
Cuellar previously served as a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. It’s unclear what, exactly, Cuellar has been accused of and what charges he might face.
A source told NBC News that Cuellar’s staff were phoning other member offices Friday seeking advice on how to handle the situation.
In Cuellar’s statement, he hinted that a potential indictment may also involve his wife, Imelda Cuellar.
“I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” he said.
He later dedicated an entire paragraph to defending his wife’s character.
“On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she’s an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees,” he said. “She 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.”
The budding scandal hasn’t shaken Cuellar’s confidence in winning re-election in November, however, as he closed his statement by saying: “Let me be clear, I’m running for reelection and will win this November.”
