US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas denies wrongdoing amid reports of pending indictment WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio [Video]

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas denied any wrongdoing amid reports of pending indictments related to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.

The longtime congressman released a statement Friday saying he and his wife “are innocent of these allegations.”

“Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar said. “Before I took action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm.

“Furthermore, we requested a meeting with the Washington D.C. prosecutors to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or hear our side.”

Neither Cuellar nor his attorney immediately responded to calls seeking comment on the matter. Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately confirm the indictments.

NBC News, CNN …