After FBI raid, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar says investigation will prove “no wrongdoing on my part”

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U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, made his first on-camera comments Tuesday about FBI agents raiding his home, saying an investigation will show he did not commit any wrongdoing. He also reiterated he is not backing away from his bid for another term in the March primary.

“Let me be clear: I’m running for reelection and I intend to win,” Cuellar said.

Cuellar made the remarks in a video he posted to his campaign Twitter account, showing him speaking outside his childhood home. The video came six days after FBI agents paid a visit to his Laredo home, as well as his campaign headquarters in the city. The agency said it was conducting a “court-authorized law enforcement activity” but did not say what it was investigating. Cuellar promised to cooperate with any probe, a promise he reiterated Tuesday while acknowledging the existence of an investigation.

“There is an ongoing investigation that will show that there was no wrongdoing on my part,” Cuellar said.

ABC News has reported that a grand jury has issued subpoenas for records relating to Cuellar; his wife, Imelda; and at least one of his campaign staffers; and their ties to Azerbaijan companies. Cuellar, a member of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, has been a strong advocate for the country’s interests.

The March 1 primary pits Cuellar against progressive Jessica Cisneros, who ran against him in 2020 and lost by 4 percentage points, as well as a second challenger, Tannya Benavides. After a pro-Cuellar group abandoned its TV buy on Thursday, Cuellar’s campaign went up on the air over the weekend, running a spot in which he says he will “never stop fighting for South Texas.” Cisneros launched her own TV campaign Tuesday morning, airing a commercial that contrasts her with Cuellar and touts her support for Medicare for All.

On Tuesday afternoon, Cisneros released her own video spot responding to Cuellar’s.

“For South Texans, the FBI investigation into Henry Cuellar is alarming and yet there were already serious concerns about the congressman’s long history of corruption and delivering for his corporate donors instead of our voters here in Texas [District] 28,” she said. “This is our chance to cross that finish line and win.”