DOJ charges Rep. Henry Cuellar with accepting bribes

The Justice Department on Friday unsealed an indictment charging Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife, Imelda, with accepting roughly $600,000 in bribes from foreign entities. The Azerbaijani government owned a company that allegedly paid bribes to Cuellar, according to a Justice Department statement. In exchange for the money, Cuellar allegedly worked to advance the interests of Azerbaijan in Congress. Cuellar previously served as the co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.

The other entity, a Mexican bank, allegedly paid Cuellar to advance its interests in Congress. Cuellar allegedly accepted the bribes from both entities over several years, from 2014 to 2021.

What does Cuellar have to say in response to the charges? WORLD contacted his office for direct comment but did not receive a response. Before the Justice Department officially unveiled the charges, reporters began circulating a statement on social media, purportedly from Cuellar, wherein he denied any wrongdoing. “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” it said.

What charges does he face? Cuellar faces 14 counts in total, according to the indictment, including five conspiracy charges, two bribery charges, two counts of being a public official acting as an agent of a foreign principal, and five money laundering charges.