Some Texans called on Sen. Bob Menendez and former Rep. George Santos to resign amid their own scandals, but have been silent about the Laredo Democrat., D-Laredo, is facing charges of bribery, money laundering and working on behalf of a foreign government. He is the third lawmaker in Congress to face a federal indictment this session.
A host of Texas Democrats also voted to expel former Rep. George Santos, R-New York, after The New York Times uncovered he had fabricated much of his background and he received his own indictment for campaign finance violations. Six of Texas’ 13 Democrats in the U.S. House voted to expel Santos from Congress last November before he had been convicted of a crime or the House Ethics Committee had concluded its investigation into his conduct .
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-California, drew a distinction between Cuellar, a nine-term congressman, and Santos, a freshman with no public service record during a Sen. Ted Cruz, who has a long track record working with Cuellar on bipartisan legislation, said though the “allegations are serious, we have a justice system that will resolve his guilt or innocence.”
Cuellar was charged with setting up fake shell companies with his wife, daughter and staff to receive $600,000 in bribes from Banco Azteca in Mexico and Azerbaijan’s state-run oil company. Members of Congress are prohibited from simultaneously working as an agent for a foreign government, and the Justice Department alleged Cuellar coordinated with Azerbaijani agents to kill legislation that went against the U.S.’s interests.
The Justice Department has strict protocols on bringing an indictment against a public official, involving multiple levels of approval. The department is also sensitive to how indictments might impact elections. Cuellar is running for reelection this year in a race that was viewed as mostly safe for him before the indictment, though some forecasters have changed their ratings for the race to be more competitive.