Former President Donald Trump said Rep. Henry Cuellar was indicted by the Biden administration only because he is an advocate for border control.
“Biden just Indicted Henry Cuellar because the Respected Democrat Congressman wouldn’t play Crooked Joe’s Open Border game,” Mr. Trump wrote in a Sunday night Truth Social post. “He was for Border Control, so they said, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to take him out!’”
“This is the way they operate,” he said. “They’re a bunch of D.C. Thugs, and at some point they will be paying a very big price for what they have done to our Country. CROOKED JOE BIDEN IS A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!”
Mr. Cuellar, Texas Democrat, was indicted last week with Imelda Cuellar, his wife, on conspiracy and bribery charges. The alleged bribes stem from an oil and gas firm owned by the Azerbaijani government and a bank based in Mexico City between 2014 and 2021. Federal prosecutors said the payoffs went through a Texas-based shell company owned by Mrs. Cuellar.
The indictment alleges that in exchange for cash, Mr. Cuellar agreed to promote the interests of the Azerbaijani government and the bank in the U.S.
The two have claimed innocence. Mr. Cuellar said he still intends to run for reelection.
Rep. Dean Phillips, Minnesota Democrat, called on Mr. Cuellar to resign just a few days after he was indicted.
“While the bar for Federal indictment is high, trust in our government is low,” Mr. Phillips said in a post on 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.”
Mr. Menendez, New Jersey Democrat, has been indicted with Nadine Menendez, his wife, in an alleged bribery scheme.
In March, Mr. Cuellar and Rep. Tom Suozzi, New York Democrat, launched the Democrats for Border Security Task Force, a group of 26 House Democrats that focuses on the influx of illegal drugs and immigrants without documentation coming across the border.
“Cities across the country are now feeling the consequences of the humanitarian crisis at the border — something border communities have been dealing with for years,” said Mr. Cuellar, who is a ranking member of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security.
He called the crisis “unsustainable.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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