'Discredited': Columnist explains why top Democrat’s indictment actually hurts the GOP

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and his wife were recently indicted by the Department of Justice for allegedly taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes over a period of several years. However, one columnist is arguing that Cuellar's criminal charges are powerfully undermining a major Republican conspiracy theory.

In his latest op-ed for MSNBC, columnist Steve Benen wrote that the DOJ's prosecution of Cuellar — who is accused of accepting payments from a bank in Mexico City and an oil and gas company owned by the government of Azerbaijan — complicates the GOP's claims of government being "weaponized" against them by President Joe Biden's administration. According to Benen, a weaponized DOJ wouldn't be going after a high-ranking elected member of Congress from its own party — particularly when control of the House of Representatives will come down to just a handful of seats nationwide.

"Republicans don’t just want their conspiracy theory to be true; they need it to be true," Benen said. "This simple, baseless idea is the foundation for the party’s Trump defense, fundraising, stump speeches, cable news segments, and even legislative campaigns on Capitol Hill."

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"In 2024, assertions about a 'two-tiered' justice system are foundational to GOP politics. They’re also routinely discredited by real-world events," he continued. "Indeed, if Biden and his team were trying to weaponize federal law enforcement to benefit Democrats, they’ve proved themselves to be incredibly bad at it."

Benen's op-ed went on to explain how under Attorney General Merrick Garland's leadership, the DOJ has indicted other prominent Democrats on numerous felony charges, including Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Hunter Biden. Garland's DOJ is also investigating other Democratic elected officials across the country like Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

"In advance of the 2018 elections, Donald Trump complained bitterly about federal law enforcement charging two of his congressional allies, and the then-president whined about the Justice Department undermining the Republican Party’s electoral plans," Benen wrote.

"Six years later, federal law enforcement is prosecuting two Democratic members of Congress, potentially undermin[ing] their party’s electoral plans, and Biden is taking a responsible, hands-off approach," he added.

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Since his indictment, Cuellar has stepped down from his position as the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. He has so far not indicated plans to resign from Congress.

""I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations," Cuellar stated. "Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas."

Cuellar, who is among the more conservative members of the House Democratic Caucus, narrowly survived a primary challenge from progressive activist Jessica Cisneros in 2022, winning by just a few hundred votes. His photo-finish victory may have been due to House Democratic leadership closing ranks around him amid Cisneros' attacks on Cuellar's anti-abortion record. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) praised Cuellar in 2022 even after the FBI raided his home.

"I support my incumbents,” Pelosi said at the time. “I support every one of them, from right to left. That is what I do.”

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