{"id":2239262,"date":"2024-05-07T14:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-democratic-leaders-dodge-on-cuellar-indictment-despite-santos-ouster-push\/"},"modified":"2024-05-07T14:27:07","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:27:07","slug":"house-democratic-leaders-dodge-on-cuellar-indictment-despite-santos-ouster-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-democratic-leaders-dodge-on-cuellar-indictment-despite-santos-ouster-push\/","title":{"rendered":"House Democratic leaders avoid addressing Cuellar indictment amidst calls for Santos removal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhouse-democratic-leaders-dodge-on-cuellar-indictment-despite-santos-ouster-push%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2239262&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>House \u2064Democratic leaders are silent on Rep. Henry Cuellar&#8217;s indictment despite outcry \u200cover ex-Rep. George Santos. Cuellar and his wife face bribery charges for\u200c using political influence for personal gain. Most Democrats have refrained from commenting, while Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar acknowledges the gravity of the situation. The differing\u2064 responses\u200d to Cuellar and Santos have sparked debate within \u2064the party.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House Democratic<\/a> leaders are keeping opinions on the indictment of Rep. <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/henry-cuellar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Henry Cuellar<\/a> (D-TX) close to their chest despite having vocal reactions to the allegations against former New York Rep. <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-santos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>George Santos<\/a>, with some saying the difference in the two men is a reason to keep quiet on the situation.<\/p>\n<p>Cuellar, a congressman of nearly two decades, and his wife, Imelda, were charged by the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Department of Justice<\/a> with several bribery, conspiracy, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-national-sentenced-for-aiding-drug-traffickers\/\" title=\"Chinese National Sentenced for Aiding Drug Traffickers\">money laundering charges<\/a>. In exchange for payments, Cuellar allegedly used his political influence to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/some-thoughts-on-xi-jinpings-third-term\/\" title=\"Some Thoughts on Xi Jinping\u2019s Third Term\">affect foreign policy<\/a> and legislative changes in favor of an Azerbaijani oil and gas company and a bank in Mexico City.<\/p>\n<p>Following the indictment, Cuellar stepped down as ranking member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and as a chief deputy whip. His chief of staff resigned from his position, as well, according to multiple outlets. Cuellar has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2990105\/henry-cuellar-indicted-doj-charges-texas-bribes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>adamantly denied the accusations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Most congressional Democrats have stayed relatively silent on the allegations against Cuellar, who did not show up for votes on the House floor on Monday. However, Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) called the accusations against the Texas Democrat an \u201cincredibly serious issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not lost on House Democrats how serious this is,\u201d Aguilar said during the caucus\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stunning-hypocrisy-demon-nancy-pelosi-cheers-national-guard-troops-in-dc-today-after-she-attacked-trump-for-sending-in-national-guard-during-dc-blm-riots\/\" title=\"STUNNING HYPOCRISY: Demon Nancy Pelosi Cheers National Guard Troops in DC Today After She Attacked Trump For Sending in National Guard During DC BLM Riots\">weekly press conference<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s entitled to make his defense. He\u2019s entitled to the presumption of innocence,\u201d Aguilar continued. \u201cWe look forward to that process playing out, and just like every American, he\u2019s entitled to that presumption \u2014 I think that\u2019s the overwhelming feeling of House Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aguilar\u2019s words regarding Cuellar contrast significantly with his words regarding Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who is also facing DOJ charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent. In September last year, Aguilar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2023\/09\/27\/latino-leaders-dismiss-menendez-claims-racial-targeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> it would \u201cbe best if [Menendez] resigned\u201d and blasted the embattled senator for blaming his Latino heritage for the investigation against him. <\/p>\n<p>His words were also more guarded than his response to Santos in May 2023, after the House voted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/345300\/george-santos-avoids-expulsion-after-house-votes-to-send-matter-to-ethics-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>send the expulsion<\/a> of the New York congressman to the Ethics Committee, a move that initially saved him from ouster before his ultimate December 2023 expulsion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBREAKING: House Republicans just voted to protect serial fraudster George Santos from being expelled from Congress. This is a slap in the face to Americans, the law, and democracy itself,\u201d Aguilar wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PeteAguilar\/status\/1658950574694359050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>post<\/a> on X at the time.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about his difference in the responses to Cuellar compared to Santos, Aguilar pointed to Cuellar\u2019s years of being a \u201cserious public official.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRepresentative Cuellar has been \u2014 for decades, he\u2019s been a legislator. He\u2019s been a statewide office holder in Texas. He has deep relationships with Republican colleagues and Democratic colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We know that he is a serious public official, public servant,\u201d Aguilar said. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s what sets this apart from other issues and the silliness of George Santos that we\u2019ve had in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s why many of us are treating this a little different. The substance of the allegations are very different, but the individuals are also,\u201d the California Democrat continued.<\/p>\n<p>House Republicans\u2019 campaign arm was quick to cast the situation as a double standard following Aguilar\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Pete Aguilar\u2019s Twister game was\u00a0anything like his defense of corrupt Congressman\u00a0Cuellar\u00a0he would be a world champion,\u201d National Republican Congressional Committee national press secretary Will Reinert said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Other House Democrats are weighing in on Cuellar\u2019s indictment but offering little more than sympathy. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters Cuellar tried to call her but that they have not connected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know enough to even comment on it, except to say I\u2019m sad that it is happening, and he has a right to defend himself,\u201d Pelosi said Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) has been the only House Democrat to call on Cuellar to resign publicly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the bar for Federal indictment is high, trust in our government is low,\u201d Phillips <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/deanbphillips\/status\/1786544184490381436\">posted<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s why office holders and candidates under indictment should resign or end their campaigns, including Sen. Bob Menendez, Donald Trump, &#038; Rep. Henry Cuellar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Santos has used the indictment as an opportunity to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2991668\/george-santos-knocks-house-lawmakers-over-henry-cuellars-indictment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>knock House members<\/a> for their expulsion actions against him. He became the sixth member in the history of the House to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2432380\/george-santos-expelled-from-house-of-representatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">forced out<\/a> of Congress last December.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo here\u2019s the thing\u2026 is miss thang\u00a0@RepRobertGarcia\u00a0going to draft an expulsion resolution for Henry Cuellar?\u201d Santos <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2991668\/george-santos-knocks-house-lawmakers-over-henry-cuellars-indictment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>posted<\/a> on X Saturday. \u201cInquiring minds want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey\u00a0@RitchieTorres\u00a0are you going to draft an expulsion resolution for Henry Cuellar?\u201d Santos wrote in another <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrSantosNY\/status\/1786784579992346945\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">post<\/a> on X. \u201cOr is that just for republicans who flip seats? Inquiring minds want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Democratic leaders remain tight-lipped about Rep. Henry Cuellar&#8217;s indictment, contrasting their vocal responses to ex-Rep. George Santos&#8217; allegations. The perceived distinction between the two figures influences their silence. Cuellar, a longtime congressman, faces scrutiny while Democrats navigate the delicate situation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2239263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MixCollage-07-May-2024-01-12-PM-395-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2239262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MixCollage-07-May-2024-01-12-PM-395-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2239262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2239262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2239262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2239263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2239262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2239262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2239262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}