Previous President Trump and the Democratic Property Caucus the two arrived to the protection of Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who was indicted for allegedly taking bribes to advantage a Mexican lender and the Azerbaijan govt.
While Trump and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., equally nodded to Cuellar’s respectable standing, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee went a move further more, accusing President Biden of applying the Justice Division to retaliate versus the Democratic congressman for demanding harder border security insurance policies – stepping outside the bash line.
Aguilar, meanwhile, praised Cuellar’s document of getting “deep associations with Republican colleagues and Democratic colleagues on each sides of the aisle,” arguing that when the allegations versus him are “really serious,” they are also “incredibly different” from the indictments faced by former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.
At Tuesday’s leadership push meeting, Aguilar was questioned why he and other Democratic colleagues had not called on Cuellar to resign or be expelled from Congress as they experienced carried out after Santos was indicted by the Justice Department on fraud, identity theft, falsification of documents, credit card fraud and other expenses. Santos was finally expelled immediately after just one 12 months in Congress next a scathing Household ethics report.
DEMOCRATIC TEXAS REP. HENRY CUELLAR INDICTED BY DOJ ON CONSPIRACY AND BRIBERY Expenses
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was indictment in link to alleged bribery strategies to reward a Mexican lender and the authorities of Azerbaijan. (Al Drago/Bloomberg by means of Getty Photographs)
“This is an incredibly major issue. It is not dropped on House Democrats how serious this is. Consultant Cuellar has accomplished the ideal matter in stepping down from his committees, stepping down from his situation as main deputy whip and position member of the Homeland Stability Subcommittee,” Aguilar explained. “He’s entitled to make his protection. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence. We search ahead to that method enjoying out. And just like every American is entitled to that presumption, I consider that’s the overwhelming sensation of Home Democrats at this issue.”
In a Fact Social submit times before, Trump addressed the indictment towards Cuellar, whose district sits alongside the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Biden just Indicted Henry Cuellar simply because the Respected Democrat Congressman wouldn’t play Crooked Joe’s Open Border video game,” Trump claimed Sunday. “He was for Border Manage, so they reported, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to get him out!’ This is the way they operate. They are a bunch of D.C. Thugs, and at some issue they will be having to pay a incredibly massive price tag for what they have finished to our Nation.”
“CROOKED JOE BIDEN IS A Risk TO DEMOCRACY!” Trump additional.
In a federal indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Texas on Friday, Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, have been charged with accepting somewhere around $600,000 from Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil corporation and a Mexican bank in trade for official acts as a member of Congress in two schemes involving bribery, illegal international impact and dollars laundering.
The bribe payments were allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, by way of a collection of front companies and middlemen into shell firms owned by Imelda Cuellar, “who executed tiny to no legit work beneath the contracts,” the Justice Office claimed. The schemes were being stated to have been carried out from at the very least December 2014 through at the very least November 2021.
In trade for the bribes compensated by the Azerbaijani oil and fuel company, Rep. Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his place of work to impact U.S. international policy in favor of Azerbaijan, according to court files. Rep. Cuellar also allegedly agreed to affect legislative activity and “to advise and force large-position U.S. Executive Department officers with regards to measures advantageous” to the Mexican lender.
Former President Trump exterior his hush-income trial at Manhattan Felony Court docket on May 7, 2024 in New York City. Trump claimed President Biden was focusing on Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, about his border stance. (Acquire McNamee/Getty Photographs)
The indictment centers all over Banco Azteca, owned by one particular of Mexico’s richest guys, Ricardo Salinas Pliego, The Wall Avenue Journal described on Wednesday, citing an unnamed U.S. official. Federal prosecutors allege the Mexican bank funneled $238,000 in bribes disguised as consulting service fees to Cuellar, according to the newspaper.
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Cuellar and his wife each pleaded not guilty in federal court docket in Houston on Friday and were being each individual launched on an unsecured $100,000 bond.
Aguilar on Tuesday slammed the “silliness of George Santos” when even more pressed by reporters about the variation in Democratic reaction to Cuellar’s indictment.
The Democratic Property Caucus chair stated he study the indictment towards Cuellar and said the “incredibly critical allegations” are treated with the “utmost respect” by the Democratic caucus.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., pictured in this article, defended Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in the wake of an indictment on bribery rates unsealed in federal courtroom final 7 days. (Samuel Corum/Getty Illustrations or photos)
“He is entitled to that presumption of innocence, as any American would. I have not talked with Agent Cuellar given that the indictment came out,” Aguilar stated. “But that explained, you know, I will say that Agent Cuellar has been for decades, he is been a legislator. He is been a statewide officeholder in Texas. He has deep relationships with Republican colleagues and Democratic colleagues on equally sides of the aisle. We know that he is a major, you know, community official and public servant. And I believe that is what sets this aside from other concerns and the silliness of George Santos that we had in the past. And I believe that is why many of us are managing this a very little distinct. The compound of the allegations is pretty distinct, but the individuals are also evening and day.”
When questioned about Menendez, Aguilar pointed to how the indictments towards the longtime New Jersey senator included images supporting the DOJ’s allegations that he allegedly approved bribes to gain the Egyptian authorities, such as illustrations or photos depicting gold bars, a luxurious car and hundreds of 1000’s of pounds in dollars that prosecutors say was sewn into jackets or in any other case uncovered throughout an FBI lookup of Menendez’s property.
“The compound of these allegations is very diverse,” Aguilar reported. “I designed some remarks on that indictment, and I hold true to those, I consider that these are incredibly various. There ended up some, you know, pictures and there have been some things that were being very distinct with regard to the allegations. So he’s entitled to the presumption of innocence. And I would say that these allegations from all a few individuals are extremely unique.”
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In a assertion launched final 7 days, Dwelling Democratic Caucus Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also defended how Cuellar “has admirably devoted his occupation to community support.”
“Like any American, Congressman Cuellar is entitled to his working day in courtroom and the presumption of innocence during the authorized system. Pursuant to Dwelling Democratic Caucus Rule 24, Congressman Cuellar will take go away as Position Member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee when this issue is ongoing,” Jeffries claimed.
