WASHINGTON (AP) — For two decades, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar has stood out as a moderate Democrat along the Texas-Mexico border, bucking his party at times over guns and immigration while seldom facing a tough reelection.
But a federal indictment accusing Cuellar of federal conspiracy and bribery charges is putting the Laredo native who was first elected in 2004 in a different spotlight. Cuellar, 68, and his wife, Imelda, 67, were taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the couple’s ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
The congressman professed his innocence after the indictment was revealed and vowed to continue his bid for an 11th term in November, saying, “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.”
The Cuellars are accused of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico. In exchange, Cuellar allegedly agreed to advance those entities’ interests in the U.S.
The couple surrendered to authorities, made an initial appearance before a federal judge in Houston and were each released on $100,000 bond, the DOJ said.
Cuellar’s family is a political fixture along the border: His brother is the sheriff in Laredo, and his sister, a former municipal judge, is also on the ballot this year, running as a Democratic candidate for state representative.
Several of Cuellar’s allies in the district, which stretches from the Rio Grande to the San Antonio suburbs, expressed surprise over the indictments but said they would still support his reelection. Cuellar’s moderate politics have helped him maintain support in places where Democrats have lost ground, like Starr County, a rural and agricultural part of South Texas.
“It is extremely surprising for me because I’ve known Henry for many, many years,” Starr County Judge Eloy Vera said. “He’s always been a very straight guy, you know, very sincere. I mean, he’s done so much for us in Starr County. I hate to see this going on.”
President Joe Biden won Starr County by a slim, single-digit margin. Two years later, Cuellar won it by 40%.
Sylvia Bruni, chair of nearby Webb County’s Democratic Party, said she would trust the legal system to work fairly and her focus would remain on elections. “We have a campaign to advance, our Democracy at stake,” she said in a statement.
Cuellar…