U.S. President Donald Trump has granted pardons to Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his spouse in a federal bribery and conspiracy lawsuit, claiming that the justice system has been “weaponized.” Trump alleged on social media, without providing evidence, that Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, were targeted due to the congressman’s criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. Trump, a Republican, praised Cuellar for speaking out against open borders and accused Biden, a Democrat, of pursuing the congressman and his wife for simply speaking the truth.
Federal authorities had accused Cuellar, aged 70, and his wife of receiving thousands of dollars in exchange for promoting the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexican bank. Cuellar allegedly agreed to support legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech in the U.S. House. Cuellar maintains his innocence, and their trial was scheduled to commence in April.
In a social media post announcing the pardon, Trump reassured Cuellar, stating: “Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight. Your nightmare is finally over!”
The Cuellars’ legal representatives and a spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Cuellar is currently under investigation by the House ethics committee, which began its probe in May 2024 following his indictment.
Representing a region on the Texas-Mexico border, Cuellar, a moderate Democrat with over two decades of congressional service, has a reputation for diverging from his party on immigration and gun control issues. He has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the surge in migrants crossing the border and is one of the few Democrats in Congress who opposes abortion rights.
Cuellar is not the sole Democrat to receive a pardon from Trump this year. Earlier in February, Trump pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in a political corruption case after commuting his sentence five years prior.
Similarly to Cuellar’s situation, Trump implied that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, faced federal corruption charges because of his critical remarks on Biden’s immigration policies. Although Trump did not grant a pardon to Adams, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the case against the mayor following Trump’s presidency, as Adams had begun collaborating with the Republican administration on immigration matters. A high-ranking Justice Department official, who also served as Trump’s defense attorney in various cases, intervened to seek the case’s dismissal.
