Azerbaijan Inquiry Is Basis for FBI Raid of Rep. Cuellar's Home

The FBI has raided the home of Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, amid a federal investigation into the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan and its ties to U.S. businessmen, according to ABC News.

Cuellar, a Democrat, has been heavily critical of the Biden administration's handling of conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border in west Texas, where his district lies.

Any raid on Cuellar's home was "court-authorized," an FBI spokesman told ABC News.

A source told ABC News it is not known if Cuellar is a target of the investigation.

Cuellar said in a statement he "will fully cooperate in any investigation" and that he is "committed to ensuring that justice and the law are upheld."

Cuellar has been a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, and has met with Azerbaijan officials, including Azerbaijan Ambassador Elin Suleymanov, according to the report.

The Texas news site myRGV.com reported that more than a dozen agents visited Cuellar's home in Laredo, near the Mexican border, and were seen taking "cases and other items" from his home.

Reporter Valerie Gonzalez posted a photo on Twitter of two men in FBI T-shirts approaching a salmon-colored house. Gonzalez said agents had also visited Cuellar's campaign office on Wednesday afternoon.

Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives, represents a Texas district that hugs the banks of the Rio Grande, just opposite Mexico. He is facing a primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros, an immigration lawyer.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

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