S.A.-based dark-money group linked to congressman who’s under FBI scrutiny

A dark-money group formed by twice-failed mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse spent money in support of a South Texas congressman whose Laredo home and office were raided by the FBI this week. Brockhouse, who says he left the Voter Education Foundation last year, said he was unaware of any connection between the secretive group and an ongoing FBI investigation of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district stretches from Laredo to San Antonio. Tom Marks, a San Antonio-based GOP operative who replaced Brockhouse on the group’s board last year, likewise said he didn’t know of any links. Another officer of the group is Colin Strother, a longtime aide of Cuellar’s who was paid to consult on the congressman’s re-election campaign as recently as August, Federal Election Commission records show. Strother was an officer of the foundation when Brockhouse created it in September 2020.

Last month, the foundation — a a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that does not disclose its donors — ran a TV ad attacking Jessica Cisneros, Cuellar’s primary challenger, as the “South Texas Jobs Grinch,” Marks confirmed. Online publication The Intercept first reported the link between Strother and the dark-money group. ABC News reported Friday the FBI search of Cuellar’s home and campaign office is related to the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan. Strother did not return a text message Friday. A prolific user of Twitter, he recently deactivated his account. Marks said not all of the foundation’s activities were authorized by every board member. “While we’re all on the same board, there is a looseness to it,” he said. “Every board member can make deposits. Every board member can do ads, can essentially do work on behalf of the entity. To my knowledge, Colin was no longer affiliated with Cuellar’s campaign” when the group attacked Cisneros. Election law forbids dark-money groups from coordinating with candidates.