As tensions flared over the disputed territory in the summer of 2020, Azerbaijan’s team of highly regarded Washington lobbyists tried to blame neighboring Armenia and emphasize the country’s connections. This is with Russia.
Unbeknownst to members of Congress, Azerbaijan had an insider who was working closely with Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Washington at the time on a parallel line of attack, according to text messages released by federal prosecutors. state announced.
Representative Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat now accused of accepting bribes and acting as a foreign agent in a multi-year scheme, indicated in a written statement that he planned made a legislative move to try to strip funding from Armenia because it hosts Russian military bases.
The Ambassador of Azerbaijan enthusiastically responded.
“Your amendment is more timely than ever,” ambassador Elin Suleymanov wrote to Mr. Cuellar. Mr. Suleymanov, who called the congressman “Boss,” added: “It’s all because of Russia’s presence there.”
Mr. Cuellar’s legislative gamble did not go very far. But by the time the messages were exchanged, his family had received at least $360,000 from companies controlled by the Azerbaijani government since December 2014, according to the federal indictment. unsealed in Houston on Friday.
The 54-page indictment emphasizes the importance of US policymaking to foreign interests and the lengths to which it goes to turn it to its advantage, despite the high and sometimes dangerous risks. questionable results.
The indictment charges Mr. Cuellar, 68, and his wife, Imelda, 67, with accepting bribes, money laundering and conspiring to violate foreign lobbying laws in connection with efforts on behalf of the government of Azerbaijan and a Mexico City bank paid them at least $238,390.
The Cuellars pleaded not guilty on Friday and were released after each posted $100,000 bail. In his statement before the indictment, Mr. Cuellar declared his innocence and asked the House Ethics Committee to clear his financial activities. The Azerbaijan Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
The charges against the couple show that the Justice Department is expanding its efforts to rein in foreign influence campaigns, despite recent high-profile failures. Jury and The judge dismissed the case have relationship with Unregistered foreign lobby via political figure has close ties to former President Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump.
The indictment is the second in recent months charging a sitting member of Congress with violating an article. bans lawmakers from serving as foreign agents. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and his wife received it A series of allegations began in October accused them of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including gold bars, to help the Egyptian and Qatari governments. Mr. Menendez and his wife have pleaded not guilty.
In addition to the payments that Mr. Menendez and Mr. Cuellar allegedly received, Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar are also countries that spend heavily on Washington’s traditional lobbying activities to maintain the flow of US aid. and gain support in disputes with neighboring countries.
According to statistics, from 2015 to the end of last year, Egypt spent 14.3 million USD on lobbying and Qatar spent nearly 85.9 million USD. analysis by the nonpartisan website OpenSecrets disclosed to the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. The disclosures do not include donations to think tanks and other expenditures that wealthy foreign governments use to try to generate goodwill.
According to FARA records, Azerbaijan spent nearly $9.2 million on lobbying during that period. The government agency retained about 20 companies during that time, including those run by former Governor John C. Haley BarbourMississippi Republican Party, and former Congressman Bob Livingston, a Louisiana Republican, served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The lobbying efforts also involved Democratic-run companies, such as former Biden advisers. Larry Raskywho passed away in 2020 and fundraiser Vincent A. Roberti.
Azerbaijan’s goals include gaining support for the reintegration of the stricken Lesser Caucasus territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. dispute with Armenia for decades. (Azerbaijani gain full control of the territory in September.) Azerbaijan also wants Congress to repeal the US aid ban imposed in 1992 during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Richard Kauzlarich, who served as ambassador to Azerbaijan in the Clinton administration, said that while the United States has consistently issued waivers to the ban since 2001, Azerbaijanis view the permanence of the underlying ban as “an insult and injustice”.
“I have not seen a sign of a return on investment on issues that are important to Azerbaijan in terms of their lobbying efforts,” Mr. Kauzlarich said. He attributed that in part to ongoing concerns about human rights violations by the Azerbaijani government and partly due to the lack of an organized and active diaspora community like the one that has lobbied for the Armenian cause.
“No amount of money can counteract the turnout in California and Massachusetts and other places where Armenian Americans live, are active and vote,” he said.
While politicians in Europe have was charged with accepting gifts and bribes from Azerbaijani and Qatari officialsProsecutors’ claims about payments to Mr. Menendez and Mr. Cueller add a new wrinkle to the world of covert influence campaigns in Washington.
Lawmakers are in a key position to help foreign governments. Mr. Menendez is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, while Mr. Cuellar serves on the House Appropriations subcommittee, which oversees the State Department’s budget.
Following their respective indictments, Mr. Menendez resigned as chairman and Mr. Cuellar from his position as the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. Mr. Menendez’s trial is ongoing scheduled to start this month. Both are available vow to stay in office as they disputed the charges, and Mr. Cuellar said he intended to continue his re-election campaign.
The Azerbaijani courtship of Mr. Cuellar comes as domestic oil companies, including the state-owned company that prosecutors say financed payments to the Cuellars, maintain a presence in Texas.
According to prosecutors, Mr. Cuellar and his wife, along with other Texas lawmakers, were entertained during a trip to Azerbaijan in 2013. He received briefings from senior government officials and attended a dinner with state oil company executives. After Mr. Cuellar returned, he was recruited by Azerbaijani officials, who began funneling payments to two consulting firms his wife created call IRC Business Solutions And Global Gold Groupaccording to Texas prosecutors and corporate records.
Prosecutors said the Cuellars used the money to pay off debt, cover living expenses and make purchases including a $12,000 custom gown and a $7,000 down payment on an umbrella. new bowl.
The indictment claims that Imelda Cuellar “performed little or no legitimate work in exchange for the payments.” Instead, “in exchange for the bribe, Henry Cuellar agreed to commit official acts and acts in violation of his official duties to benefit Azerbaijan and to become and act with as a representative of the government of Azerbaijan.”
Among the services that prosecutors say Mr. Cuellar carried out at the behest of the Azerbaijanis were pressing the Obama administration to take a tougher line on Armenia, trying to insert language favorable to Azerbaijan into the law and committee reports, and asked his staff to urge the State Department. Passport renewal for Mr. Suleymanov’s daughter.
Mr. Cuellar’s efforts on behalf of Azerbaijan appear to have had little impact. He withdrew the amendment to strip funding from Armenia after objection from a group of Armenian diaspora.
“It was about to be scrapped so I backed out but they are taking credit ha ha,” Mr. Cuellar texted Mr. Suleymanov.
The Ambassador replied “they take credit for everything!”
After Mr. Cuellar’s indictment was announced, the group Armenian Association of America called for “a broader investigation regarding these allegations and who else may be involved in the corrupt modus operandi.” of Azerbaijan”.
