Trump Pardons Texas Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar in Federal Bribery Case Over Border Policy Comments

President Donald Trump has issued a pardon to Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case, citing what he described as a "weaponised" justice system.

Trump claimed on social media that Cuellar and his wife Imelda were prosecuted because the congressman had been critical of President Joe Biden's immigration policies, particularly regarding border security.

In his social media announcement, Trump stated that Cuellar "bravely spoke out against Open Borders" and accused the Biden administration of targeting the congressman and his wife "for speaking the TRUTH," though he presented no evidence for these claims.

Federal authorities had charged the Cuellars with accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexican bank. The allegations included that Cuellar agreed to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech in the House.

Both Henry and Imelda Cuellar have maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings. Their trial had been scheduled to begin in April.

"Henry, I don't know you, but you can sleep well tonight," Trump wrote when announcing the pardon. "Your nightmare is finally over!"

Speaking to reporters outside his congressional office, Cuellar briefly thanked Trump: "I think the facts have been clear about this, but I would also say I want to thank God for standing during this very difficult time with my family and I. Now we can get back to work. Nothing has changed. We will continue working hard."

When asked if he was changing political parties, Cuellar responded, "No, like I said, nothing has changed."

The Biden administration did not respond to requests for comment on the pardon.

The U.S. Constitution grants presidents broad power to issue pardons for federal crimes. These pardons don't erase criminal records but can serve as acts of mercy or justice, often in cases believed to further public welfare.

Trump's pardons during his term have included numerous high-profile beneficiaries, many politically aligned with him. He has pardoned dozens of Republicans accused of participating in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and granted clemency to over 1,500 people charged in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

On the same day as Cuellar's pardon, Trump also pardoned Timothy J. Leiweke, a sports and entertainment industry veteran who co-founded Oak View Group. Leiweke had been indicted in July by Trump's own Justice Department for allegedly "orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process" for a university arena in Austin, Texas. Despite Leiweke's not guilty plea, Trump issued what he called "a full and conditional pardon" without elaborating on his reasoning.

In his announcement, Trump included a letter that Cuellar's daughters, Christina and Catherine, had sent him on November 12 requesting pardons for their parents. "When you and your family faced your own challenges, we understood that pain in a very human way," they wrote. "We watched from afar through the eyes of daughters who knew what it felt like to see parents under fire."

Cuellar later commented, "I know that my daughters sent a letter, but letters are sent not knowing what's going to happen on that."

One of Cuellar's attorneys, Eric Reed, mentioned that his legal team had previously made a "pretty substantive presentation" to the Justice Department seeking dismissal of the charges, though he declined to provide specific details about these discussions.

Imelda Cuellar's lawyers expressed gratitude for Trump's pardon in a statement, reiterating that "She has always maintained her innocence."

Henry Cuellar still faces an Ethics Committee investigation in the House, which began in May 2024 shortly after his indictment and was reauthorized in July. The committee has stated it is coordinating with the Justice Department to balance its obligations while avoiding interference with parallel investigations.

Cuellar, who has served in Congress for over 20 years, is known as a moderate Democrat representing an area along the Texas-Mexico border. He has frequently broken with his party on issues of immigration and firearms policy.

He has been among the most vocal critics of the Biden administration's handling of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border and is one of the few remaining Democrats in Congress who opposes abortion rights.

When asked if he had consulted with Republican House leadership about pardoning the Democratic congressman, Trump responded, "It didn't matter" and reiterated that Cuellar was targeted for his critical comments on immigration. "He represents the people on the border and he saw what was happening," Trump said.

Following the pardon, Cuellar filed to run for reelection.

This is not the first Democrat Trump has pardoned. In February, he pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, five years after commuting his sentence in a political corruption case.

Trump has suggested that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, also faced federal corruption charges because of critical comments about Biden's immigration policies. While Trump did not pardon Adams, after taking office, the Justice Department moved to drop the case against the mayor, who had begun working with the Republican administration on immigration issues.

A senior Justice Department official, who had also served as Trump's defense lawyer in several cases, intervened to seek dismissal of the charges against Adams.