Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar is now facing an ethics investigation in addition to indictment for 'taking $600,000 in bribes' as woes continue and his staff flees office
- The Ethics Committee announced a probe into embattled Rep. Henry Cuellar
- READ: DOJ charged the lawmaker with bribery, money laundering and wire fraud
The House Committee on Ethics announced it will investigate Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar for bribery and foreign influence allegations nearly a month after the Department of Justice indicted the longtime lawmaker.
Henry, 68, and Imelda Cuellar were indicted May 3 on charges alleging they used a series of shell businesses 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 office to help advance the two companies' interests in U.S. policy agendas.
Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., will lead the congressional probe into the alleged misconduct.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (right) and his wife Imelda Cuellar (left) were charged by the DOJ with $600,000 that came in from foreign companies for alleged bribery, money laundering and wire fraud
The lawmakers hope 'to determine whether Representative Cuellar solicited or accepted bribes, gratuities, or improper gifts; acted as a foreign agent; violated federal money laundering laws; misused his official position for private gain; and/or made false statements or omissions on public disclosure statements filed with the House,' a statement released by the committee Wednesday stated.
The indictment alleged that, among other things, Ceullar agreed to sway legislation to favor Azerbaijani interests and that he even agreed to deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the House floor.
But in a statement to Roll Call Cuellar continued to deny the allegations 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 held the role of co-chair for the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.
Earlier this month, Cuellar's chief of staff quit after the Texas Democrat and his wife were charged by the Justice Department with bribery and fraud.
Jake Hochberg served as Cuellar's top aide since 2021 but left the office on in early May, multiple people familiar with the situation confirmed to Punchbowl News.
The sources said that other staffers are also mulling leaving the embattled lawmaker's office.
Jake Hochberg (pictured) quit as Rep. Henry Cuellar's chief of staff after the congressman was charged with bribery and fraud
Rep. Cuellar resigned from his committee assignments and pleaded not guilty. He and his wife were released on $100,000 bail each
Hochberg previously did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment on his departure from Cuellar's office.
In addition, Republicans are preparing to pounce if Democrats don't move to punish Cuellar.
Last year, 105 GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to expel former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) before he was convicted of a crime but after a congressional investigation found wrongdoing.
Cuellar was one of the 206 Democrats who voted to expel Santos in December despite a federal investigation on his end.
The married couple from Laredo, Texas, pleaded not guilty and were released on $100,000 bail each.
While the trial is scheduled to begin this summer, it's likely that pre-trial legal disputes over the case will delay the start by months – and could even result in dismissal.
The Azerbaijani energy company SOCAR is reportedly behind some payments made to Cuellar
Cuellar, one of the remaining moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, has already stepped down from his assignment on the House Appropriations Committee amid active criminal case proceedings.
The Justice Department's charges against the Democrat include alleging the Cuellar's engaged in bribery, money laundering and wire fraud.
Cuellar's seat is seen as flippable in 2024 – and now Republicans see it as an even bigger possibility after the indictment.
