A roaring conjunto band welcomed Rep. Henry Cuellar and about 150 other business and political leaders at a community center in Mission, Texas, on a sweltering Wednesday this month.
The luncheon was designed to promote area businesses, and serve as a thank-you to federal lawmakers like Cuellar who had shepherded taxpayer dollars into the booming border town.
As the event began, the Rev. Roy Snipes, a prominent local pastor known as “the cowboy priest,” took the stage to bless the proceedings. Descending the stairs, Snipes spotted Cuellar at a nearby table, uncapped his vial of holy water from the nearby …