Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar recently found himself on the wrong end of a gun barrel, a harrowing experience that thankfully ended without physical harm to the Congressman. But what makes the story even more intriguing is the candidness with which Cuellar spoke about the incident.
Three black men reportedly approached Representative Cuellar while armed and demanded his car. The attackers succeeded in getting away in Cuellar’s white Honda CHR, which is registered in Texas.
“I was just coming into my place. Three guys came out of nowhere and they pointed guns at me. I do have a black belt, but I recognize when you got three guns. I looked at one with a gun, another with a gun, one behind me. So they said they wanted my car. I said, sure, you got to keep common to those situations. And then they took off,” said Cuellar.
He thanked the Capitol Police and Metro Police for their swift action that helped recover his stolen car and belongings in less than two hours.
“They recovered everything. What really got me upset was they took my sushi. But anyway, that’s something else. And they did recover the sushi after all,” Cuellar quipped.
Cuellar’s praise for the police is not only warranted but also deeply rooted in personal connections, as he revealed that he has three brothers who are peace officers.
“Anyway, I do want to thank the Capitol Police, and I certainly want to thank the Metro Police. I’m a big law enforcement person. I got three brothers that are law enforcement. So I certainly appreciate the good work that the police did last night. Everything was recovered, my phone, my car and everything.”
WATCH:
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) briefly recounted his experience being carjacked in Washington, DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood. He said there were three assailants with guns who stole his car, and he said the incident was proof there should be better support for law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/ZXLYpyAh3Z
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 3, 2023
The irony here is as thick as a brick wall. Cuellar is a Democrat, a member of the party that has harbored calls to “defund the police,” now not just benefiting from but praising the same law enforcement agencies that have been under constant ideological attack from his own side of the aisle.
The Gateway Pundit reported earlier that Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar has a voting record that includes support for measures that could potentially weaken police departments. Among these are votes that make it easier to defund the police and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, aimed at holding police accountable and ending racial profiling.
According to Cuban-American Producer and Director Robby Starbuck, Cuellar had previously voted against an amendment to a spending bill that would have removed language making it easier to defund police departments.
According to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Cuellar expressed reservations about voting for an $82.6 billion spending bill due to policy provisions that would make it easier to defund police departments. However, when the rubber met the road, Cuellar did exactly that—voting against an amendment that would have taken out the problematic language.
“As crime continues to rise across the country, Texans won’t forgot [sic] that Henry Cuellar voted to make it easier to defund the police departments that keep them safe,” said NRCC Spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair.
Mike Cernovich, a popular conservative commentator, also pointed out that Cuellar voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This legislation aims to hold police accountable and end racial profiling.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will take numerous key steps to achieve police reform, including:
- Ending racial, religious and discriminatory profiling;
- Establishing a National Police Misconduct Registry to improve transparency and prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave one agency, from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability;
- Requiring data collection, including mandatory body cameras and dashboard cameras;
- Establishing new standards for policing and the Public Safety Innovation grants for community-based organizations to help reimagine policing in their communities;
- Making lynching a federal hate crime; and more.
In a statement, Cuellar said, “I share our nation’s shock and outrage over the death of George Floyd. The majority of our brave men and women in law enforcement do their jobs honorably and with integrity. However, bad practices by individual law enforcement officers create a significant danger not only to our communities but also cause mistrust between law enforcement departments and the people they serve.”
Cuellar’s recent victimization by crime highlights the irony and hypocrisy of his position. While advocating for policies that could potentially weaken law enforcement, he himself became a victim of the very crime wave that such policies can unleash.
He stated, “We must make necessary reforms to our policing system, not defund or disassemble it, to prevent further tragedies from happening again.” Yet, his voting record tells a different story—one that contradicts his public statements.