OPINION | This article contains opinion. This site is licensed to publish this content.
The FBI raided the house of Democrat Henry Cuellar in Texas, according to NBC News.
There was widespread speculation about the raid as multiple media outlets reported that FBI agents were at the home for an extended period of time. They were seen loading “large bags, plastic bins, and a computer into a federal vehicle.”
The FBI confirmed that they were “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity” at the home of the Democratic congressman. Cuellar says he “fully cooperated.”
The raid is part of an ongoing federal investigation into the country of Azerbaijan and a group of U.S. businessmen who have ties to the country, NBC News reported.
It is unclear whether the 66-year-old Democrat is being investigated for allegations of criminal wrongdoing.
He is a former customs broker and Texas secretary of state.
Cuellar was recently a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus and he also sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee.
“The FBI was present in the vicinity of Windridge Drive and Estate Drive in Laredo conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity,” spokesperson Rosanne Hughes said in a statement. “The FBI cannot provide further comment on an ongoing investigation.”
FBI still present at the home of Rep. Henry Cuellar’s in Laredo. https://t.co/CYOyJVSSGJ pic.twitter.com/N8rGyZVpNz
— Valerie Gonzalez (@ValOnTheBorder) January 19, 2022
By around 7:30 p.m., a group of agents loaded large bags, plastic bins, and a computer into a federal vehicle. Others appeared to be logging the items. pic.twitter.com/dFlGWRnOqK
— Valerie Gonzalez (@ValOnTheBorder) January 20, 2022
More from NY Post:
It was not immediately clear what authorities were specifically searching for. However, agents were seen taking photographs of trucks parked in front of Cuellar’s home while cases and other items were observed being taken from the house, according to MyRGVNews. One of the trucks parked in front was also searched by federal agents with flashlights.
At least one reporter on the scene observed agents loading bags, plastic bins and a computer into a federal vehicle.
The 66-year-old lawmaker’s office has confirmed that he will “fully cooperate in any investigation.”
“He is committed to ensuring that justice and the law are upheld,” a statement read…
— Advertisement —
Over the years, Cuellar has met multiple times with Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the US, to discuss various issues. He has also repeatedly supported student trips to the Eurasian nation for energy certificate programs.
In August 2015, Cuellar posted a tweet detailing that he and his daughter Christina had met with a representative from the University of the Incarnate World, a private Catholic University in Texas, to “discuss Azerbaijan exchange programs.”
Azerbaijan, which became an independent nation in 1991, is rich in resources — particularly oil and natural gas.
