A video reportedly showing a worker from the City of Escobares installing campaign signs for Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) has surfaced, raising alarms about the potential misuse of public resources for political purposes. The marked city truck is clearly visible in the footage.
In the video, the worker is seen placing Cuellar campaign signs next to the city vehicle.
As of the time of this report, neither the City of Escobares nor Cuellar’s campaign had responded to inquiries.
According to Texas law, municipal employees are prohibited from knowingly utilizing public funds or resources for political advertising. The Texas Ethics Commission interprets public resources as including government equipment and paid work hours. Violating Election Code §255.003 is classified as a Class A misdemeanor.
Furthermore, the Texas Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion No. 550 specifies that government resources cannot be used for personal campaign activities, deeming it a misuse of resources.
The emergence of this video coincides with other concerns regarding Cuellar’s family, who have faced scrutiny over their alleged improper use of government resources and city-funded positions.
In a statement, NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez criticized Cuellar, suggesting he has transformed public office into a family business. Martinez accused him of exploiting government workers for campaign efforts and suggested that taxpayers are unwittingly subsidizing this behavior, calling it a model of corruption rather than a scandal.
Cuellar’s brother, Martin Cuellar, who serves as Webb County Sheriff, is under federal indictment connected to claims of misappropriating county resources from 2020 to 2022. The allegations include utilizing sheriff’s office personnel and equipment for a private disinfecting business started in April 2020, which lacked its own employees or resources. According to court documents, this company obtained a $500,000 contract with a local school district while primarily relying on county resources.
Federal prosecutors conducted searches of Cuellar’s office and the school district office in June 2023 as part of the ongoing investigation. While one accomplice has pleaded guilty, both Martin Cuellar and another associate could face up to a decade in prison if found guilty, with Martin also facing a separate charge related to money laundering.
In May 2024, Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda were indicted for allegedly accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from an energy company linked to Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. Prosecutors believe that the funds were laundered through fictitious consulting contracts and alleged that Cuellar leveraged his congressional role to favor these foreign entities, manipulating U.S. policy and influencing executive officials.
This indictment followed a search by federal agents of Cuellar’s home in Laredo more than two years earlier as part of the investigation related to Azerbaijan. Cuellar has consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that he and his wife are innocent and that his congressional actions were solely aimed at benefiting South Texas.
According to another report, the Cuellars allegedly accepted substantial amounts from an Azerbaijan-controlled oil company and the Mexican bank over a span of years, with prosecutors claiming Imelda Cuellar did little legitimate work for the payments while her husband acted in ways that furthered the interests of these foreign entities.
Facing multiple serious charges, Henry Cuellar has asserted that he sought legal advice prior to his actions and lamented that prosecutors denied his legal team’s requests to discuss the case.
Cuellar’s campaign has allocated a significant portion of its funds for legal expenses over the 2024 election cycle, with nearly half of the total expenditures—around $784,900—designated for legal services according to Federal Election Commission records. This included major payments to law firms representing him in these matters.
In December 2025, former President Donald Trump granted both Henry and Imelda Cuellar full pardons, contending that their prosecution was politically motivated and tied to Cuellar’s public criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies. Trump claimed the Cuellars’ ordeal had come to an end, prompted in part by their daughters’ appeals for clemency due to their father’s stance on border issues.
Cuellar’s Republican rival, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, has received endorsements from prominent figures including Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Trump has publicly expressed his strong endorsement of Tijerina, labeling him a respected businessman and emphasizing that Tijerina’s positions are more favorable than Cuellar’s. While he indicated he would pardon Cuellar again if necessary, Trump stated that Cuellar should not be allowed to serve in Congress again.
