Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar's chief of staff resigns after his boss was indicted for 'taking $600,000 in bribes'... and now the Texas lawmaker faces a staff exodus

Rep. Henry Cuellar's chief of staff quit after the Texas Democrat and his wife were charged by the Justice Department with bribery and fraud.

Jake Hochberg served as Cuellar's top aide since 2021 but left the office on Monday, multiple people familiar with the situation confirmed to Punchbowl News.

The sources say that more staffers are also considering leaving in coming days.

Henry, 68, and Imelda Cuellar were indicted Friday on charges alleging they used a series of shell businesses and fake invoices to conceal approximately $600,000 in bribes from foreign companies – including an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank.

In exchange for the alleged bribes, Rep. Cuellar (D-Texas) is believed to have used his office to help advance the two companies' interests in U.S. policy agendas.

Jake Hochberg (pictured) quit as Rep. Henry Cuellar's chief of staff on Monday after the congressman was charged with bribery and fraud

Rep. Henry Cuellar (right) and his wife Imelda Cuellar (left) were charged by the DOJ with $600,000 that came in from foregin companies for alleged bribery, money laundering and wire fraud

Besides already resigning his committee assignments, it's likely that Cuellar could face backlash even before a verdict is handed down. 

Hochberg did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment on his departure from Cuellar's office.

Republicans are preparing to pounce if Democrats don't move to immediately punish Cuellar. Last year, 105 GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to expel former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) before he was convicted of a crime but after a congressional investigation found wrongdoing.

Cuellar was one of the 206 Democrats who voted to expel Santos in December despite a federal investigation on his end.

The married couple from Laredo, Texas pleaded not guilty and were released on $100,000 bail each.

While the trial is scheduled to begin this summer, it's likely that pre-trial legal disputes over the case will delay the start by months – and could even result in dismissal.

Cuellar, one of the remaining moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, has already stepped down from his assignment on the House Appropriations Committee amid active criminal case proceedings.

On Monday, the Texas lawmaker did not appear for his first chance to cast a vote since the indictment.

The Justice Department's charges against the Democrat include alleging the Cuellar's engaged in bribery, money laundering and wire fraud.

Rep. Cuellar resigned from his committee assignments and pleaded not guilty. He and his wife were released on $100,000 bail each

Trump on Sunday stepped in to defend Cuellar, calling the pro-life lawmaker a 'respected Democrat congressman.'

In the Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump accused Biden's DOJ of targeting Cuellar because he has more moderate or conservative views on border security.

'They're a bunch of D.C. Thugs, and at some point they will be paying a very big price for what they have done to our Country,' wrote the former president.

Cuellar's seat is seen as flippable in 2024 – and now Republicans see it as an even bigger possibility after the indictment last week.