FBI searches South Texas U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s home but won't discuss reason

FBI personnel searched the Laredo home and campaign office of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar Wednesday, and the longtime Democratic lawmaker's office issued a statement saying he “will fully cooperate in any investigation,” according to media reports.

FBI spokesperson Rosanne Hughes told the Express-News and other outlets that agents were on two streets around Cuellar's house “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity.” However, she didn't provide further details.

"By around 7:30 p.m., a group of agents loaded large bags, plastic bins, and a computer into a federal vehicle," McAllen Monitor reporter Valerie Gonzalez tweeted from the scene Wednesday. "Others appeared to be logging the items."

In a subsequent Twitter post, Gonzalez noted that federal agents were also at Cuellar's Laredo campaign office that afternoon. Two vehicles she spotted there later showed up at the residence, and an agent in an FBI jacket got out of one, she added.

First elected in 2004, Cuellar represents a South Texas district that includes Laredo and part of San Antonio. He holds a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which oversees distribution of funds for most of the federal government.

Recently, the moderate has been critical of both President Joe Biden's response to a recent surge in border crossings and of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's heavy-handed moves to militarize the border.

The FBI probe comes as Cuellar faces a challenge in the March 1 Democratic primary from attorney Jessica Cisneros, who attracted substantial progressive backing when she ran an unsuccessful 2018 campaign to unseat the longtime lawmaker.

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