U.S. President Donald Trump granted pardons to Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his spouse in a federal bribery and conspiracy inquiry, alleging a biased justice system. Trump, who claims his legal issues were politically motivated, asserted on social media that Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, faced prosecution due to the congressman’s criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
According to Trump, Cuellar courageously opposed Open Borders and accused Biden of targeting the couple for speaking the truth. Federal authorities alleged that Cuellar, aged 70, and his wife received money in exchange for promoting the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexican bank. Cuellar supposedly agreed to support legislation beneficial to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech in the U.S. House.
Cuellar has maintained his innocence, and their trial was scheduled for April next year. Trump announced the pardon on social media, reassuring Cuellar that his ordeal was finally over.
The Cuellars’ legal representatives and a Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Cuellar still faces an ethics committee investigation in the House, initiated in May 2024 following his indictment and renewed in July to address potential conflicts with the Justice Department’s inquiries.
Representing a district on the Texas-Mexico border, Cuellar, a moderate Democrat with over two decades in Congress, has a track record of diverging from his party on immigration and gun control issues. He criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the surge in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and is one of the few Democrats in Congress opposing abortion rights.
Cuellar is not the sole Democrat pardoned by Trump this year. Previously, Trump pardoned ex-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich after commuting his sentence for political corruption. Trump also insinuated that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, faced corruption charges due to his criticisms of Biden’s immigration policies. Although Trump did not pardon Adams, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the case against him, as Adams had started collaborating with the Republican administration on immigration matters.
A high-ranking Justice Department official, who also served as Trump’s legal counsel in various cases, intervened to seek the case’s dismissal.