WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee said Wednesday it will open an investigation into Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who was recently indicted in a federal bribery case.
The panel said in a statement that it voted unanimously to create a subcommittee charged with investigating Cuellar after the Justice Department released an indictment this month accusing Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, of hiring $598,000 in bribes from foreign entities, including a Mexican bank and an oil and gas company controlled by Azerbaijan.
The subcommittee will have jurisdiction to investigate whether Cuellar “solicited or accepted bribes, gratuities, or improper gifts, acted as a foreign agent, violated federal money laundering laws, abused his official position for personal gain, and/or made false statements or has made omissions on disclosure statements filed with the House.”
Before the charges were unveiled this month, Cuellar denied any wrongdoing and said he had “proactively sought legal advice” from the panel.
In a statement Wednesday, Cuellar confirmed his innocence.
“I respect the work of the House Ethics Committee,” Cuellar said. “As I said on May 3, I am innocent of these charges, and everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.”
The Ethics Committee in Wednesday’s statement cited House rules that require it to establish an investigative subcommittee or explain its decision not to do so within 30 days of a member being indicted or otherwise charged.
Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., will serve as chairman and ranking member of the new subcommittee.
The federal indictment will make Cuellar’s seat more vulnerable in November. Two years ago, he easily defeated his Republican opponent, Cassy Garcia.
This time, Cuellar will face retired Navy officer Jay Furman, who won Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Cuellar and his wife are not the first congressional couple to be indicted in the past year over alleged foreign bribery schemes. The Justice Department has charged Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife, Nadine Menendez, with 18 criminal counts related to bribery and corruption. They have pleaded not guilty. Bob Menendez is on trial.
Rebecca Kaplan reported from Washington, DC, and Zoë Richards from New York.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
