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:2025-04-17 03:15:55
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! (35)
Related
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Jail where murderer Danilo Cavalcante escaped plans to wall off yard and make other upgrades
- 2 Black TikTok workers claim discrimination: Both were fired after complaining to HR
- Supreme Court to decide whether Alabama can postpone drawing new congressional districts
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Bulgaria expels a Russian and 2 Belarusian clerics accused of spying for Moscow
- Iranian court gives a Tajik man 2 death sentences for an attack at a major Shiite shrine
- 1.5 million people asked to conserve water in Seattle because of statewide drought
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Rupert Murdoch Will Step Down as Chairman of Fox and News Corp.
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Suspect suffers life-threatening injuries in ‘gunfight’ with Missouri officers
- Moose headbutts stomps woman, dog, marking 4th moose attack on Colorado hiker this year
- Police suggested charging a child for her explicit photos. Experts say the practice is common
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Horoscopes Today, September 21, 2023
- A potential tropical system is headed toward North Carolina; Hurricane Nigel remains at sea
- Who killed Tupac? Latest developments in case explored in new 'Impact x Nightline'
Recommendation
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
Free COVID test kits are coming back. Here's how to get them.
Google Maps sued by family of North Carolina man who drove off collapsed bridge following directions
Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian and Miranda Kerr Look Inseparable While Baring Their Baby Bumps
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
How the AI revolution is different: It threatens white-collar workers
Talking Heads reflect on 'Stop Making Sense,' say David Byrne 'wasn't so tyrannical'
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says her husband has lung cancer