According to records, Democratic Texas Representative Henry Cuellar, who is currently under investigation for accepting foreign bribes, has allocated more than half of his campaign funds for legal services during the 2024 election cycle. Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reveal that Cuellar spent over $750,000 on payments to various law firms, constituting approximately half of his total expenditure of $1.6 million during that period. The Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Cuellar in early May, accusing him of accepting $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijanian Government-controlled oil and gas company and a Mexican bank. These bribes were allegedly given in exchange for influencing American foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan.
“I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar said in a statement, denying his guilt. “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 continued.
During his tenure in office, Cuellar assumed the role of co-chair for the House Azerbaijan Caucus in Congress. Throughout his time in Congress, he consistently advocated for the interests of the oil-rich Caucasian nation.
https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/1786460936838017155
“The bribe payments were allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts,” the DOJ’s press release on the indictment reads. “In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan,” the statement continues.
According to FEC records, the majority of Cuellar’s legal fees were paid to Clifford Chance LLP, a multinational legal firm. A portion of the funds were also allocated to Perkins Coie, a firm affiliated with the Democratic Party and known for its expertise in political law. The Cuellar campaign has yet to provide a response to the request for comment made by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
