Politics

Trump Pardons Indicted Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar

Rep. Henry Cuellar speaking in 2022 (U.S. Department of Agriculture / Wikimedia Commons)

President Donald Trump pardoned Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, who were indicted by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) in May 2024 on charges related to allegedly accepting more than half a million dollars in bribes.

Trump announced the news in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, arguing the couple were a victim of weaponization by the Biden FBI. Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, were set to face trial in April 2026.

“For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them,” Trump wrote. “One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe.'”

“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH,” Trump continued.

Federal prosecutors alleged Cuellar and his wife received $600,000 in a bribery scheme between 2014 and 2021 involving the government of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for advancing Azerbaijani interests in the House of Representatives.

The couple have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and Cuellar refused to resign from his post, which he has held since 2005.

The congressman thanked Trump on X for his “tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts,” following the president’s pardon.

“I thank God for standing with my family and I during this difficult time,” Cuellar added in his Wednesday morning X post. “This decision clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas. This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on.”

Cuellar, a moderate Democrat who represents a majority-Hispanic district, has been a vocal critic of former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. He also lambasted his Democratic colleagues in April for protesting reputed MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador.

Cuellar has voted for high-profile GOP legislation over the past year, including the Laken Riley Act and the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. He was also one of six Democrats to buck House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and vote for bipartisan legislation to end the record-breaking government shutdown in November.

Cuellar represents a crucial battleground district that national Republicans are hoping to flip during next year’s midterm elections. Webb County Judge Tajo Tijerina, viewed as a strong GOP recruit, announced his campaign to unseat Cuellar on Tuesday.

Cuellar reportedly filed to run for reelection as a Democrat on Monday, the same day Trump pardoned him.

“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!” Trump also wrote.

Cuellar’s “full and unconditional” pardon is not the first instance of Trump tossing charges against Democratic officials, who were indicted by the Biden DOJ. Trump’s Justice Department dropped federal bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in February.