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    Categories: News

Henry Cuellar, FBI raids Texas Democrat over links to Azerbaijan

Lenin Nolly / NurPhoto via AP file

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The FBI conducts an investigation on a Texas Democrat who has ties to Azerbaijan. On January 19, 2022, residents of Laredo, Texas, were taken aback when teams of FBI investigators stormed and seized the house of US Representative Henry Cuellar. Neighbors were taken aback when police officers came on the neighborhood unexpectedly, leaving many wondering why the Texas Democrat, who has been in Congress since 2005, was now being probed. We received an answer on January 20 after some law enforcement officials broke their silence to the press. Henry Cuellar is one of only a few Democrats under investigation, compared to a significant number of Republicans.

Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman who is apparently being probed for child sex trafficking, is undoubtedly the most well-known name. Contrary to Gaetz’s assertions, he is not being pursued by the Biden administration because the investigation was initiated by Donald Trump’s Attorney General, Bill Barr. Henry Cuellar is being examined for his links to Azerbaijan and a group of American businessmen with interests in the Asian country, according to reports. He is the second Democrat to be accused of having connections with foreign entities, following Rep. Eric Swalwell, who was suspected of falling victim to Chinese spy Fang Fang. While the case against Swalwell remains mostly speculative and unsubstantiated, the FBI appears to have strong evidence of Cuellar’s relationship with the oil-rich country.

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What Is Henry Cuellar’s Name?

Since 2005, the moderate Democrat has represented Texas’ Rio Grande Valley district, and she is also a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. In that capacity, he is said to have met with a number of Azerbaijani officials, including the country’s US ambassador. Henry Cuellar, a Loredo native, earned a degree in international service from Georgetown University. He went on to study law, create his own legal business, and teach part-time at Laredo State University. He subsequently chose to enter politics, initially seeking a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. From 987 to 2001, he served in the House before being nominated Secretary of State by then-Governor Rick Perry.
After an unsuccessful effort in 2002, he campaigned for Congress again in 2004 and succeeded, kicking off a long tenure in the US Capitol. In fact, he’s up for re-election in 2022, which might explain why he’s one of the few Democrats to criticize President Joe Biden’s border policy. Unlike some of his colleagues, Cuellar has kept a low profile in Congress, particularly in recent years, but he may struggle to win the 2017 midterm elections now that he’s being probed by the FBI.

Photo by: Alex Brandon/AP

FBI Inquiry Into Azerbaijan:

According to ABC and CBS News sources, the raid on Cuellar was undoubtedly related to an ongoing FBI investigation into the former Soviet state. A federal grand jury in Washington, DC is now examining the situation, although it’s unclear if Cuellar is the initial focus of the investigation. As part of the warrant, officials raided his campaign headquarters, although they would comment beyond claiming they were “doing court-authorized law enforcement activities. Henry Cuellar has not commented directly on the raid, but his office released a brief statement stating that “He is adamant about preserving justice and the rule of law,” he says. and that he would “fully cooperate in any investigation.” Because the investigation is being conducted by a federal grand jury, we know very little about its scope and scope, as well as who else is being investigated.

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