U.S. President Donald Trump granted pardons to Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his spouse in a federal bribery and conspiracy lawsuit on Wednesday, denouncing what he described as a biased legal system. Trump, who has maintained that his legal issues were politically motivated, alleged on social media, without substantiation, that Cuellar and his wife Imelda were prosecuted due to the congressman’s criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. Trump, a Republican, praised Cuellar for speaking up against open borders and accused Democrat Biden of targeting the congressman and his wife for “simply telling 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 energy company controlled by Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. Cuellar supposedly agreed to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech in the U.S. House. Cuellar has maintained his innocence, with the trial for him and his wife scheduled to commence next April.
In the announcement of the pardon on social media, Trump reassured Cuellar, stating, “Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight. Your nightmare is finally over!” The legal representatives of the Cuellars and a spokesperson for Biden did not provide immediate comments when contacted. Cuellar is still under scrutiny by the House ethics committee following an investigation initiated in May 2024 after his indictment, which was subsequently extended in July.
Henry Cuellar, a moderate Democrat serving in Congress for over two decades, represents a district along the Texas-Mexico border. He has a history of diverging from his party on issues such as immigration and firearms. Cuellar has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the surge in migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border and remains one of the few Democrats in Congress opposing abortion rights. Notably, Cuellar is not the sole Democrat to receive a pardon from Trump this year. In February, Trump pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, five years after commuting his sentence in a corruption case.
Drawing parallels to Cuellar’s situation, Trump insinuated that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a Democrat, faced federal corruption charges due to his criticisms of Biden’s immigration policies. Although Trump did not grant Adams a pardon, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the case against the mayor after Trump assumed office, as Adams had begun collaborating with the Republican administration on immigration matters. A high-ranking Justice Department official, who had previously served as Trump’s legal counsel in various cases, intervened to request the case’s dismissal.