Current:Home > MyUS Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas denies wrongdoing amid reports of pending indictment -Wealth Momentum Network
US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas denies wrongdoing amid reports of pending indictment
View
Date:2025-04-15 17:21:42
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas denied any wrongdoing amid reports of pending indictments related to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
The longtime congressman released a statement Friday saying he and his wife “are innocent of these allegations.”
“Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar said. “Before I took action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm.
“Furthermore, we requested a meeting with the Washington D.C. prosecutors to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or hear our side.”
Neither Cuellar nor his attorney immediately responded to calls seeking comment on the matter. Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately confirm the indictments.
NBC News, CNN and Fox News, all citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported Friday the Justice Department was expected to announce Cuellar’s indictment.
Cuellar was at one time the co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.
The FBI searched the congressman’s house in the border city of Laredo in 2022, and Cuellar’s attorney at that time said Cuellar was not the target of that investigation. That search was part of a broader investigation related to Azerbaijan that saw FBI agents serve a raft of subpoenas and conduct interviews in Washington, D.C., and Texas, a person with direct knowledge of the probe previously told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Federal disclosures show that the nine-term congressman traveled to Azerbaijan in 2013. Two years later, Cuellar’s office announced an agreement between a Texas university and an organization called the Assembly of Friends of Azerbaijan for the purposes of collaborating on oil and gas research and education.
veryGood! (25553)
Related
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- EPA Thought Industry-Funded Scientists Could Support Its Conclusion that a Long-Regulated Pesticide Is Not a Cancer Risk
- Selena Gomez Reacts to Taylor Swift Potentially Doing Only Murders in the Building Cameo
- Philip Morris International is expanding Kentucky factory to boost production of nicotine pouches
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Nationals' Dylan Crews makes MLB debut on LSU teammate Paul Skenes' heels
- Like other red states, Louisiana governor announces policy aiming to prevent noncitizens from voting
- Pennsylvania county broke law by refusing to tell voters if it rejected their ballot, judge says
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Newest internet villain? Man files trademark for Jools Lebron's 'very mindful, very demure'
Ranking
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Man charged in Arkansas grocery store shooting sued by woman who was injured in the attack
- Watch as curious black bear paws at California teen's leg in close encounter
- An injured and angry water buffalo is on the loose in Iowa
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- 10-year-old boy dies in crash after man stole Jeep parked at Kenny Chesney concert: Police
- Oasis reunites for tour and ends a 15-year hiatus during Gallagher brothers’ feud
- Body found in Hilton Head, South Carolina believed to be Massachusetts man who vanished
Recommendation
Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
EEE, West Nile, malaria: Know the difference between these mosquito-borne diseases
Lizzo Reveals She’s Taking a “Gap Year” After Previous Comments About Quitting
Presidential transition planning has begun in earnest, but Trump and Harris are already behind
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Hearing over whether to dismiss charges in Arizona fake electors case stretches into second day
Army private who fled to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion
Unusually cold storm that frosted West Coast peaks provided a hint of winter in August