The House Ethics Committee announced it will investigate Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar over allegations of bribery and foreign influence nearly a month after the Justice Department indicted the veteran lawmaker.
Henry, 68, and Imelda Cuellar were indicted on May 3 on charges alleging they used a series of shell deals and fake invoices to conceal approximately $600,000 in bribes from foreign companies, including an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank.
In exchange for the alleged bribes, Cuellar is believed to have used his position to help promote the interests of the two companies on US political agendas.
Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Mississippi, and ranking member Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., will lead the congressional investigation into the alleged misconduct.
Representative Henry Cuellar (right) and his wife Imelda Cuellar (left) were charged by the Department of Justice with $600,000 from foreign companies for alleged bribery, money laundering and wire fraud.
Lawmakers hope to ‘determine whether Representative Cuellar solicited or accepted improper bribes, gratuities or gifts; acted as a foreign agent; violated federal money laundering laws; abused his official position for private gain; and/or made false statements or omissions in public disclosure statements filed with the House,” said a statement issued by the committee on Wednesday.
The indictment alleged that, among other things, Ceullar agreed to influence legislation to favor Azerbaijan’s interests and that he even agreed to give a pro-Azerbaijan speech in the House of Representatives.
But in a statement to role call Cuellar continued to deny the accusations against him.
“I respect the work of the House Ethics Committee,” he wrote in a statement Wednesday. “I am innocent of these allegations and everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.”
The Democrat once served as co-chair of Azerbaijan’s congressional group.
Earlier this month, Cuellar’s chief of staff resigned after the Justice Department charged the Texas Democrat and his wife with bribery and fraud.
Jake Hochberg served as Cuellar’s top aide since 2021, but left the office in early May, multiple people familiar with the situation confirmed to Punchbowl News.
Sources said other employees are also considering leaving the embattled lawmaker’s office.
Jake Hochberg (pictured) resigned as Rep. Henry Cuellar’s chief of staff after the congressman was accused of bribery and fraud.
Rep. Cuellar resigned his committee assignments and pleaded not guilty. He and his wife were released on bail of $100,000 each.
Hochberg did not previously respond to a request from DailyMail.com for comment on his departure from Cuellar’s office.
Additionally, Republicans are preparing to attack if Democrats do not take action to punish Cuellar.
Last year, 105 Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to oust former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) before he was convicted of a crime but after a congressional investigation uncovered irregularities.
Cuellar was one of 206 Democrats who voted to oust Santos in December despite a federal investigation on his part.
The married couple from Laredo, Texas, pleaded not guilty and were released on bail of $100,000 each.
While the trial is scheduled to begin this summer, pretrial legal wrangling over the case is likely to delay the start for months, and could even result in dismissal.
The Azerbaijani energy company SOCAR would be behind some payments made to Cuellar
Cuellar, one of the remaining moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, has already resigned from his position on the House Appropriations Committee amid an active criminal case.
The Justice Department charges against the Democrat include the allegation that the Cuellars engaged in bribery, money laundering and wire fraud.
Cuellar’s seat is considered flippable in 2024, and now Republicans see it as an even bigger possibility after the impeachment.