WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is expected to announce the indictment of longtime Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, on Friday, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Cuellar’s home and campaign office in Laredo, Texas, were raided in January 2022 as part of a federal investigation into Azerbaijan and a group of American businessmen with ties to the country, law enforcement said at the time. His office pledged to cooperate with the investigation. In April, Cuellar’s attorney, Joshua Berman, told some news agencies Federal officials told him he was not a target for investigation.
Guler is a one-time co-chairman of the Azerbaijan Caucus of Congress.
It was not immediately clear if the allegation was related to the 2022 test. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Cuellar’s staff called other members’ offices Friday to get advice on how to handle the situation, a source with knowledge of those calls told NBC News.
In a statement Friday, Cuellar denied any wrongdoing, saying he “proactively sought legal advice” from the House Ethics Committee, which issued “more than one written opinion” on the matter. Much of his statement focused on his wife, Imelda Cuellar, although it was not immediately clear why.
“I want to make it clear that my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I did in Congress was to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar said in his statement, later adding: “The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and were in the best interest of America. People…”
“Imelda and I have been married for 32 years. In addition to being a wonderful wife and mother, she is an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She has spent her career working in banking, tax and consulting,” he continued. “The allegation that she is qualified and hard-working is false and offensive.”
A defiant Cuellar also made it clear that he would seek re-election: “Let me be clear, I am running for re-election and I will win this November.”
A year after the raid on his home — which previously yielded no arrests or charges — Cuellar told the Texas Tribune: “There was no wrongdoing on my part. … My focus has remained the same since my first day in office: delivering results for Texans across my district.”
Despite the ordeal, Cuellar defeated a progressive challenger, Jessica Cisneros, in her 2022 primary and won re-election to her seat that November. He does not face a primary challenger this year and will be on the ballot this November for his 11th term in Congress.
Two years ago, Gullard easily defeated Republican candidate Casey Garcia, 57% to 43%. His district turned blue when he took parts of San Antonio following redistricting. But the indictment will make Cuellar more vulnerable than in the past; In 2020, Joe Biden won Culler’s district over Donald Trump by 7 percentage points.
The two Republicans will face each other in a late May runoff for a chance to face Cueller in the fall.
“Henry Cuellar doesn’t put Texas first, he puts himself first,” said Delanie Bomar, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “If his colleagues truly believed in putting ‘people above politics’, they would call for his resignation. If not – they are hypocrites whose statements on public service are not worth the paper they are written on.”
Cuellar, 66, is an attorney, a former customs broker and Texas secretary of state. A member of the centrist Blue Dogs and the New Democratic Alliance, Guller was elected to the House in 2004.
He is the only Democrat left in Congress who opposes abortion rights — a move that has angered many in his party.
Daniel Barnes And Julie Sirkin Contributed.
