- Rep. Henry Cuellar released a video on Tuesday addressing last week's FBI raid on his home.
- The investigation "will show that there was no wrongdoing on my part," he said in the campaign video.
- Cuellar said that he's running for reelection this year.
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas in a campaign video released on Tuesday addressed last week's FBI raid on his home, and said the investigation "will show that there was no wrongdoing on my part."
The FBI last Wednesday conducted a "court-authorized" search at Cuellar's Laredo, Texas, home and his campaign headquarters.
ABC News reported last week that the raid was connected to a broader probe relating to Azerbaijan.
The FBI activity is "part of a wide-ranging federal probe relating to the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan and several U.S. businessmen," a source familiar with the matter told ABC News. Cuellar is a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, but it's unclear why federal officials are specifically investigating him.
—Henry Cuellar (@CuellarCampaign) January 25, 2022
Cuellar reiterated on Tuesday that he's fully cooperating with law enforcement officials and "committed to ensuring that justice and the law is upheld."
The Texas Democrat spoke directly to his constituents in the campaign video, making clear that he is running for reelection this year and intends to win.
"I pride myself on being your congressman and always doing things honestly, ethically, in the right way," he said.
"This is my home, my community, and why I got into politics," Cuellar continued. "Nothing can distract me from being laser-focused on getting the job done for you and for south Texas, the way I always have."
Cuellar has represented Texas' 28th Congressional District since 2005. A moderate Democrat, Cuellar defeated his progressive Democratic primary challenger, 26-year-old immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros, in a closely-watched 2020 race. They will face off again this year.
Just after the raid, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she was endorsing Cisneros, whom she had backed in 2020. Politico reported that the New York Democrat's support was already planned before the raid, but the race has received renewed attention.
Cisneros, now 28, responded to Cuellar's reelection campaign video shortly after it was posted on Twitter.
"Despite being investigated by the FBI, he's all in," she said in a video on Twitter. "Well so am I, and I'm ready to finish what we started."