While speculation grows over the circumstances that led to the FBI’s presence at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s home and office last week, challengers for his congressional seat are seeing the timing of the federal investigation as an opportunity.
Little is known about the reason behind the FBI’s visit Wednesday to Cuellar’s Laredo home and campaign headquarters, news The Monitor first reported.
An ABC news story suggests the investigation is “seeking records about a wide array of U.S. companies and advocacy organizations, many of them with ties to the former Soviet nation of Azerbaijan,” Mike Levine reported.
Congressman Cuellar’s office said he will fully cooperate in any investigation and is committed to ensure that justice and the law are upheld.
Other theories on social media, meanwhile, spun since the visit to the congressman’s home who is campaigning for reelection.
“I think what we need is to discern what are rumors on social media and what is official information that is coming out,” Tannya Benavides, a Democratic challenger, said Friday, adding, “because this is a very serious situation that we’re in with the primary being 25 days away from early voting, 40 days away from the election.”
Cuellar is facing a fight for his seat from Republicans and two Democrats this year, including attorney Jessica Cisneros who lost her first election bid against the congressman in 2020 by a mere 3.5% of votes.
“We are aware of the news regarding Congressman Cuellar and the active FBI investigation,” Cisneros said Thursday via a statement. “We are closely watching as this develops. In the meantime, we are focused on our campaign to deliver change to South Texas families and will not be making any additional comments at this time.”
Benavides struck a similar tone in her response to the “jarring” incident.
“While we don’t have the full story of what is going on right now, we want to focus on the possibilities of a new chapter for our community,” Benavides said Friday.
Similarly, on the Republican side, Cassy Garcia, a political newcomer, sees the timing as a chance to gain red ground.
“I am disturbed about the FBI investigation into Congressman Cuellar.” Garcia said Thursday. “The 28th district deserves a representative that puts them first, not lobbyists and interest groups. Now, more than ever, I am motivated to take back our district from Democrat control.”
Garcia, though new to the political arena, won the support from the National Border Patrol Council prior to the FBI’s execution of the search warrant last week. The union previously supported Cuellar in the last election.
In spite of the shift in dynamics and emerging history between the congressman and the former Soviet state, the investigation is not proof of a crime, a Valley board-certified expert in criminal law explained Thursday.
“I want to caution, though, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to be any evidence of crime or that even a crime has been committed,” Carlos A. Garcia said.
An investigation of this caliber typically requires affidavits from sworn federal officers and requires offices and judges to sign off before agents ever reach the front door.
“The approvals just to begin and the thresholds that have to be overcome in order to investigate an elected official goes all the way up to that level,” Garcia said, referring to the Department of Justice.
CNN reported the DOJ’s Public Integrity unit is also involved.
The arguments used to make a case for search warrants differ from those made in a trial, Garcia explained.
“The standard of proof is not beyond a reasonable doubt as we are used to in a criminal prosecution. It is a lower standard. The standard is probability – probably,” he said. “Many times we think that something is going to happen and it doesn’t actually happen. So, I think it’s important to keep it in its proper context as well.”
