President Trump Wednesday pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his spouse who have been accused in a $600,000 federal bribery case, saying the reasonable border district lawmaker was a fellow sufferer of a “weaponized” justice system.
Trump known as Cuellar “beloved” and “highly respected,” and mentioned the Laredo lawmaker and his spouse, Imelda, have been focused as a result of he often criticized former President Biden’s border safety insurance policies.
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over,” Trump wrote on his social media web site.
Trump mentioned he determined to behave after the couple’s two grown daughters just lately wrote him to plead for clemency, saying their father was solely charged as a result of he helps “securing the border from policies of the previous administration.”
President Donald Trump. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
Cuellar, an 11-term lawmaker who is likely one of the most conservative Democrats within the Home of Representatives, didn’t instantly touch upon the pardon.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority chief, dodged questions on whether or not he helps Trump’s pardon however known as the case towards Cuellar “thin” and mentioned he had anticipated the lawmaker to finally beat the rap in court docket.
“He’s beloved in his community, particularly down in Laredo,” mentioned Jeffries, including that he expects Cuellar to stay a Democrat and to win reelection.
Federal authorities had charged Cuellar, 69, and his spouse with accepting hundreds of {dollars} in alternate for the congressman advancing the pursuits of an Azerbaijan-controlled power firm and a financial institution in Mexico. They proclaimed their innocence.
Rep. Henry Cuellar. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
Cuellar and one other south Texas reasonable Democratic congressman, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, have struggled to carry onto their seats amid a significant shift to the fitting within the closely Latino Rio Grande Valley, which was as soon as overwhelmingly Democratic.
Cuellar and Gonzalez have been already going through probably difficult reelection bids in 2026 when Republicans moved to make each districts considerably extra GOP-friendly in an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting bid.
A federal appeals court docket tossed out the brand new maps however the conservative Supreme Courtroom put that call on maintain pending a call that might come forward of the state’s Dec. 8 submitting deadline for congressional candidates.
