The campaign arm of House Republicans urged Democrats on Monday to call on indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar to resign, just like Democrats pushed the GOP to oust former Rep. George Santos over criminal charges.
“Henry Cuellar does not put Texas first, he puts himself first. If his colleagues truly believe in putting ‘people over politics,’ they will call on him to resign,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar said. “If not — they are hypocrites whose statements about public service aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.”
Republicans say their planned attacks on Democrats over Mr. Cuellar are no different than when Democrats last year urged GOP lawmakers to push out former Mr. Santos, New York Republican, before any resolution of the federal charges against him.
Rep. Dean Phillips, Minnesota Democrat who recently withdrew from the presidential Democratic primary, is the only Democrat who has called on Mr. Cuellar to resign since the Texas Democrat’s indictment was released by the Justice Department on Friday.
“While the bar for Federal indictment is high, trust in our government is low,” Mr. Phillips wrote in a post on the social media platform X. “That’s why office holders and candidates under indictment should resign or end their campaigns, including Sen. Bob Menendez, Donald Trump, & Rep. Henry Cuellar.”
Federal authorities have indicted Mr. Menendez, New Jersey Democrat, and his wife in an alleged bribery scheme.
Republicans are pressuring Democrats to push out Mr. Cuellar, Texas Democrat, who was recently charged, along with his wife Imelda, of accepting foreign bribes close to $600,000.
The bribes allegedly came between 2014 and 2021 from an oil and gas firm owned by the Azerbaijani government and a bank based in Mexico City. According to federal prosecutors, the payoff went through a Texas-based shell company owned by Mrs. Cuellar.
The indictment said that in exchange for the cash, the Texas Democrat agreed to promote the interests of the Azerbaijani government and the bank in the U.S.
Mr. Cuellar, previously co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, wrote in a statement that he is “innocent of these allegations.”
He also defended his wife of 32 years, writing that she is “an accomplished business woman with two degrees [who] spent her career working with banking, tax, and consulting.”
The Washington Times reached out to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Last December, Mr. Cuellar was among 206 Democrats who voted with 105 Republicans to expel Mr. Santos, despite his knowledge of federal officials investigating him after they raided his home in 2022.
Mr. Santos’ short, chaotic tenure as a lawmaker was tarnished when details came to light that he lied about many aspects of his life, including his education, career background, religion and claiming his mother was killed when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
The House Ethics Committee later released a bruising 56-page report that described a litany of deceptive practices. Mr. Santos became the sixth lawmaker to be expelled from Congress and the first to be ejected before a conviction of any crime.
Christie Stephenson, spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, said Mr. Cuellar will take leave as the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee’s homeland security subcommittee.
“Henry Cuellar has admirably devoted his career to public service and is a valued member of the House Democratic Caucus,” she said. “Like any American, Congressman Cuellar is entitled to his day in court and the presumption of innocence throughout the legal process.”
Mr. Cuellar is pro-life and one of the most moderate House Democrats. He said he is “running for reelection and will win this November.”
His district, which extends from San Antonio to the border, was won by President Biden by seven percentage points in 2020. House Democratic leaders endorsed Mr. Cuellar last year. He narrowly won his primary in 2022 over a more liberal opponent.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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