Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) became the first Democrat to call for fellow Rep. Henry Cuellar’s (D-TX) resignation on Friday following the Texas congressman’s indictment by the Department of Justice.
“While the bar for Federal indictment is high, trust in our government is low,” Phillips said. “That’s why office holders and candidates under indictment should resign or end their campaigns, including Sen. Bob Menendez, Donald Trump, & Rep. Henry Cuellar.”
Cuellar was indicted on Friday on 14 charges, including bribery, conspiracy, and money laundering, related to accusations that he and his wife, Imelda, accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from the government of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank.
The bribe payments were allegedly made through “sham consulting contracts” owned by Imelda Cuellar, “who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts,” according to the indictment. In exchange for the money, Henry Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his political influence to favor the two foreign entities in matters related to foreign policy and legislative changes.
The congressman and his wife face a maximum sentence of 200 years in prison, but it is unlikely that sentencing will result in the maximum penalties. The couple made their initial appearance in federal court and were later released on $100,000 bonds.
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Henry Cuellar’s seat is rated “likely Democratic” by the Cook Political Report, but he has faced tough reelection cycles in recent years, and an indictment could hurt his chances of reelection.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is on trial for allegedly accepting bribes, and former President Donald Trump is in the middle of his trial for allegedly paying off porn star Stormy Daniels.
