Texas Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar to be indicted two years after FBI raided his home over ties to Azerbaijani businessmen

Congressman Henry Cuellar is expected to be indicted by the Department of Justice on Friday afternoon, according to multiple reports.

The Texas Democrat’s home was raided by the FBI in January 2022 as part of an investigation into his ties to Azerbaijani businessmen. 

Cuellar insisted he was innocent in response to the news – and suggested his wife would be caught up in the indictment. 

‘I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations.’

‘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 went on. 

The embattled congressman said he plans to continue his campaign for reelection despite the indictment. 

Cuellar said he and his wife tried to meet with prosecutors and they ‘refused to discuss the case or hear our side.’ 

‘Imelda and I have been married for 32 years. On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she’s an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. 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.’  

Cuellar said at the time of the raid he was cooperating with law enforcement and he did not believe he was the target of the investigation. It is not yet clear if the indictment will be related to that investigation. 

The nine-term Democrat is a past co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, an obscure group dedicated to furthering relations with the oil-rich nation on the Caspian Sea.

In that role, Cuellar is known to have met repeatedly with Azerbaijan officials, including the country’s ambassador to the US, Elin Suleymanov.

Azerbaijan has been harshly criticized in the past for bribing foreign officials and diplomats to secure its foreign policy aims and legitimize dubious election results.

The practice is so common in the country that it is known there as ‘caviar diplomacy,’ but it is unclear whether the FBI is investigating any similar allegations in relation to Cuellar.

Since 2004, Cuellar has represented a district that extends from the U.S. border with Mexico near McAllen to Laredo, and north to San Antonio’s eastern outskirts.

The moderate Democrat has a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Public records show that Cuellar purchased his luxurious Laredo home in 2010.

The 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home in a gated community is valued at $825,000 currently by Realtor.com.

Cuellar, who represents much of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, has been a vocal critic of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their handling of a surge of illegal crossings at the border.