White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to defend Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) during a press briefing following reports that the FBI raided his home as part of an ongoing investigation.
“I’m just not gonna have any comment on this at this point,” Psaki said when a reporter asked if Cuellar should step away from his committee positions while the FBI investigation was pending.
Last Wednesday, FBI agents reportedly raided Cuellar’s home as part of an ongoing investigation. Although the FBI did not reveal a motive for the raid, ABC News reported that the inquiry stems from Cuellar’s ties to Azerbaijani executives.
The subpoena reviewed by ABC News specifically seeks records related to at least three Texas-based companies for which online databases identify Imelda Cuellar as an officer or director. It also seeks records relating to an array of logistics-related firms and cultural advocacy organizations from around the United States, many of them with ties to Azerbaijan, which sits on the Caspian Sea near Iran, Russia and Georgia.
A spokesperson for Cuellar said the Texas representative “will fully cooperate in any investigation. He is committed to ensuring that justice and the law are upheld.”
News of the FBI raid has harmed Cuellar’s reelection efforts, with a pro-Cuellar PAC dropping a TV ad earlier than expected. Prominent Democrat Julián Castro said, “The working families of TX-28 who need a champion in Congress can’t risk losing a Democratic seat because the incumbent is under a cloud of suspicion.”
Cuellar is an outspoken critic of the Biden Administration’s handling of the crisis at our southern border and one of few Democrats to speak up.
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