Democratic Leadership Wanted Rep. Henry Cuellar, And Now They're Stuck With Him

Even after the FBI raided his Texas home in January 2022, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi staunchly defended Congressman Henry Cuellar. Before the Laredo-area representative became known for that raid, he was infamous for being the rare anti-abortion Democrat. That alone should have made him persona non grata in a caucus that at the time sold itself as the great defender of abortion rights. Still, that May, as Cuellar faced a primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros, a progressive candidate who had run against him in 2020 and lost by a small margin, Pelosi sang his praises.

“I’m supporting Henry Cuellar. He’s a valued member of our caucus. The FBI has said he’s not under investigation,” she said that May at a press conference, adding to the reporter: “I thought that you were going to take it to choice or something,” indicating she had expected questions about abortion rights a month before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

As much as some lionize Pelosi, no one, much less a politician, is above reproach.

Take it to choice or something.

How flippant of her. 

It recalls her goofy claims that the Russians are behind the college protests and shows just how detached she actually is. Some readers may be booing and hissing at that sentence, but she’s your superwoman, not mine. Pelosi may be able to wield power and “has earned her places in history,” but she has often proved that she won’t always flex her power in the interests of the voters she serves, much as she may claim otherwise. She gets so much credit for wagging her finger at then-President Donald Trump and for tearing up pieces of paper after his State of the Union address, but not enough to deflect criticism over how she contributes to the justified cynicism toward the political system. 

The FBI raided this man’s home as part of a corruption investigation, but Pelosi, along with other senior Democratic leadership ― Jim Clyburn and Steny Hoyer ― supported him anyway. After a recount, Cuellar ended up winning the 2022 primary by only 289 votes. Political endorsements are often overvalued in electoral politics, but it’s hard to believe that their blessing didn’t affect the race. Pelosi repeatedly stressed that her decision was rooted in her support for incumbents. Cuellar had the feds beating down his door and was anti-abortion on the cusp of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, but incumbency was what counted most. 

Last summer, new Democratic House leadership ― Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, caucus chair Pete Aguilar, Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn ― all announced their endorsements of Cuellar well ahead of the 2024 campaign. Cuellar was recently indicted in a case that alleges he and wife accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and Mexico-based bank. Cuellar is accused of agreeing to use his power as a member of Congress to support foreign policy that would be favorable for Azerbaijan and push bank regulators for similar policies favorable for the Mexican bank. They could face a significant amount of prison time. His staff has reportedly fled en masse, and two of his aides have already pleaded guilty to funneling bribes. There is another person tied to the investigation who is pleading guilty, but Cuellar says he won’t plead guilty nor will he resign from Congress.

This is the part where I acknowledge everyone is innocent until proved guilty. 

With that out of the way, the feds don’t usually knock on one’s door on those kinds of charges without good reason, and if everyone around you is pleading out, unless that man has miracle-working legal representation, I don’t see him ending that situation on a high note. Democrats now find themselves trying to reclaim the House and have an indicted congressman making a safe seat in Texas presumably more competitive. Cuellar went unchallenged in this year’s primary and has already secured the nomination. He is unlikely to step down given that he is pleading not guilty. 

Democratic leadership had the opportunity to nominate a politically informed attorney in her late 20s and instead chose the man nearly 40 years her senior who constantly voted against many of the party’s professed priorities. All for the sake of the preservation of their own influence and power. In an interview with The Prospect’s David Dayen, Waleed Shahid, a former spokesperson for Justice Democrats, said: “The Democratic Party establishment chose to wholeheartedly side with a corrupt, anti-choice Democrat rather than let the progressives grow their ranks by just one member.”

House Democratic leadership should have abandoned him at least two years ago. Now everyone must contend with the consequences of their choice to support Cuellar. I won’t hold my breath on any of them acknowledging what a mistake it was to continue to support him, because that is not their way. But they will continue to profess being morally superior than the GOP while making the same mistake s. Republicans are not the only ones guilty of normalizing political candidates under federal investigation when it suits their own interests.

They’re just more forthright about it.