(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, has used nearly half of his campaign funds for the 2024 election cycle to cover legal bills resulting from a DOJ criminal indictment for alleged bribery and money laundering.
Following a strategy similar to President Joe Biden’s, Cuellar has spent over $750,000 from his campaign donations—almost half of the $1.6 million in his campaign account.
Biden previously milked $1.5 million from the Democratic National Committee to pay for his legal fees related to the Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into classified documents found at his residence.
Cuellar’s significant campaign expenditures were first reported by the Daily Caller and Open Secrets, which examined his campaign’s filings with the Federal Election Commission.
These expenses arose after Cuellar faced federal criminal charges, accused of accepting $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani-controlled oil company and a Mexican bank.
Prosecutors claim Cuellar agreed to promote policies benefiting Azerbaijan’s government. Cuellar’s wife, Imelda Cuellar, is also charged in the indictment.
Cuellar has denied the DOJ’s allegations, stating, “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.”
He continued, “The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people.”
The DOJ alleged earlier this month that Cuellar and his wife received the payments through laundered means, including “sham consulting contracts.”
According to prosecutors, Cuellar’s wife allegedly ran this consulting company, but “performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts.”
The revelation of Cuellar using his campaign contributions highlights a contentious issue among Democrats, who have criticized former President Donald Trump for using donations to cover legal expenses from indictments by Democratic prosecutors.
Many Trump supporters view the prosecutions he faces as part of a broader effort to damage his re-election campaign and continue to donate in response.
