U.S. President Donald Trump issued pardons to Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case, criticizing what he termed a biased legal system. Trump, known for decrying his own legal challenges as politically motivated, alleged on social media, without substantiating evidence, that the prosecution of Cuellar and his spouse, Imelda, was a result of the congressman’s criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration strategies. The Republican President praised Cuellar for his stance against Open Borders and accused the Democratic President of targeting the couple for their outspokenness.
Federal authorities had charged Cuellar, aged 70, and his wife for receiving monetary benefits in exchange for promoting the interests of an energy company controlled by Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. Cuellar allegedly agreed to advocate for 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 assured Cuellar, “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 still under scrutiny by the House ethics committee, which began an investigation in May 2024, following his indictment, and extended it in July to ensure the integrity of the House.
Representing a Texas-Mexico border area, Cuellar, a moderate Democrat with over two decades in Congress, has a history of diverging from his party on immigration and gun control issues. He has been critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the influx of 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; in February, Trump pardoned former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich after commuting his sentence in a corruption case.
Similarly to Cuellar’s situation, Trump implied that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, faced corruption charges due to his criticism of Biden’s immigration policies. While Trump did not grant Adams a pardon, the Justice Department, under Trump’s administration, moved to dismiss the case against the mayor, who had started collaborating with Republicans on immigration matters. A senior Justice Department official, who also served as Trump’s legal counsel in various cases, intervened to request the case’s dismissal.