Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar rips ‘far-left celebrity’ colleague AOC for campaigning for his RIVAL

Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar ripped his colleague Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for campaigning for his primary challenger, calling her a ‘far-left celebrity’ who should take care of her own district. 

Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., is headed to Texas Saturday to campaign for two progressive House candidates – Jessica Cisneros, a Laredo immigration attorney is challenging Cuellar, and Greg Casar, who is running for the seat occupied by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. Doggett is running for another district.  

‘This election is taking place in the 28th Congressional District of Texas- not New York City,’ Cuellar said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

‘The voters will decide this election not far left celebrities who stand for defunding the police, open borders, eliminating oil & gas jobs, and raising taxes on hard working Texans,’ he continued. 

‘Members should take care of their own district before taking failed ideas to South Texas.’ 

Cuellar, a moderate Democrat from Texas who has come after President Biden’s immigration policies, is a favorite primary target of progressives

The primary is set for March 1.  

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign called Cuellar an ‘anti-choice Democrat’ and tied him to Donald Trump in a campaign email last month. 

Cuellar was the only Democrat to buck his party and vote against a reproductive rights bill that passed the House in September. The bill, which stalled in the Senate, would have banned a wide range of restrictions commonly used in red states. 

‘It’s called conscience, ‘ he said. ‘I am a Catholic, and I do believe in rights, right to life, and it’s just a conscious, sometimes people vote because of political, they think just because Democratic or Republican issue, for me it’s just a matter of conscience.’

Cuellar, the last anti-choice ‘Democrat’ in the House… had a 70% voting record of siding with Donald Trump” before Cisneros challenged him for the first time in 2020, Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign team noted last month. 

The Texas Democrat has also been a vociferous critic of President Biden’s immigration policies.  

Cuellar voted with President Trump’s position 68.8% of the time in the 115th Congress (2018-2019), but only 11.4% of the time in the 116th Congress (2019-2020). 

Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., is headed to Texas Saturday to campaign for two progressive House candidates

Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., is headed to Texas Saturday to campaign for two progressive House candidates

Cisneros, a 28-year-old immigration attorney, came within three percentage points of beating Cuellar in the 2020 primary, in one of the closest of that year

Cisneros, a 28-year-old immigration attorney, came within three percentage points of beating Cuellar in the 2020 primary, in one of the closest of that year

Cisneros, 28, came within three percentage points of beating Cuellar in the 2020 primary, in one of the closest of that year. Cuellar beat out his Republican opponent to win the general election with 58.3% of the vote.  

And in a matter of unfortunate timing for Cuellar, the FBI conducted a raid on his home last month tied to a criminal investigation with business people from the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan.

It’s still not clear whether Cuellar himself is a subject or target of the probe, and he has vowed to cooperate with any investigation.

The nine-term Democrat is co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, an obscure group dedicated to furthering relations with the oil-rich nation on the Caspian Sea.

In that role, Cuellar is known to have met repeatedly with Azerbaijan officials, including the country’s ambassador to the US, Elin Suleymanov.     

Azerbaijan has been harshly criticized in the past for bribing foreign officials and diplomats to secure its foreign policy aims and legitimize dubious election results.

The practice is so common in the country that it is known there as ‘caviar diplomacy,’ but it is unclear whether the FBI is investigating any similar allegations in relation to Cuellar.

FBI agents have been spotted conducting a 'court-authorized' investigation at the Texas home of United States Representative Henry Cuellar, who has vowed to cooperate fully

FBI agents have been spotted conducting a ‘court-authorized’ investigation at the Texas home of United States Representative Henry Cuellar, who has vowed to cooperate fully

FBI agents load items including a computer from the home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, into their vehicles on Wednesday

FBI agents load items including a computer from the home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, into their vehicles on Wednesday

FBI agents load boxes, bins, bags and a computer from the home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar into their vehicles in Laredo, Texas, on Wednesday

FBI agents load boxes, bins, bags and a computer from the home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar into their vehicles in Laredo, Texas, on Wednesday

Federal agents were seen inside and around Cuellar's mansion in Laredo (above in a file photo) on Wednesday, where they took photos of trucks parked in the circular drive out front

Federal agents were seen inside and around Cuellar’s mansion in Laredo (above in a file photo) on Wednesday, where they took photos of trucks parked in the circular drive out front

Despite the ongoing investigation, Cuellar said he expects to win his primary. 

‘There is an ongoing investigation that will show there was no wrongdoing on my part,’ he said in a video posted to Twitter. ‘I am fully cooperating with law enforcement and committed to ensuring that justice and the law is upheld.’ 

‘As an attorney, I know firsthand that the legal system is a pillar of our democracy.’

‘Let me be clear: I’m running for re-election and I intend to win,’ Cuellar added.

‘I pride myself on being your congressman and always doing things honestly ethically and in the right way,’ the congressman said. ‘Nothing can distract me from being laser-focused on getting the job done for you and south Texas the way I always have.’