A U.S. Congressman's Connections to Azerbaijan are Under Fresh Scrutiny - Media Reports

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar's (D-TX) connections to Azerbaijan are under fresh scrutiny after his home and campaign office were raided by the FBI this week, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports citing local media.

On Friday, ABC News revealed new details about the FBI raid, claiming that a grand jury has issued subpoenas for records relating to the Congressman, his wife, and at least one of his campaign staffers, and their ties to Azerbaijan companies

The subpoena reviewed by ABC News is "seeking, among other information, records related to Kemal Oksuz (a former Houston-based businessman convicted of lying to Congress about Azerbaijan's role in a funding a trip for 10 lawmakers), SOCAR, the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, and other entities"

It is not yet clear whether Cuellar or his wife are direct targets of the probe but the subpoenas reportedly seek records "relating to anything of value" related to Cuellar’s relationship with certain business leaders and foreign officials and asks for records related to "work, act, favor, or service" that Cuellar may have provided to foreign companies.

Until recently, Cuellar has served as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, and met with multiple Azerbaijani officials, including as recently as last November, with a group of Azeri parliamentarians.

Earlier, CNN reported that the Justice Department's Public Integrity Unit, which investigates bribery and government integrity, is involved in the investigation.

Both Cuellar’s office and a Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on Friday for this story.

Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.