US Representative Henry Cuellar speaks during a campaign event on May 4, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. WASHINGTON: United States Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife were indicted for allegedly accepting close to US$600,000 and unsealed on Friday, said the bribes were laundered through sham consulting contracts into shell companies owned by Imelda, the congressman's wife, from December 2014 through at least November 2021.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Cuellar would be stepping down as the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee while the case is pending. The indictment cited Cuellar's support for providing funding to Azerbaijan and a pro-Azerbaijan speech he gave on the House floor, among other actions.