Trump pardons Rep. Henry Cuellar and wife
President Trump pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case in which prosecutors alleged the couple accepted nearly $600,000 to advance an Azerbaijan‑controlled energy company and a Mexican bank, including agreements to influence legislation and deliver a pro‑Azerbaijan House floor speech; their trial had been scheduled for next April. Cuellar, who denies wrongdoing, thanked Trump, said he will remain a "conservative blue dog" Democrat and filed for reelection the same day, while the White House defended the clemency and Trump described the prosecution as "weaponized."
đź“Ś Key Facts
- President Trump pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in the federal bribery and conspiracy case.
- Prosecutors alleged the Cuellars accepted nearly $600,000 in payments to advance an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexico City bank and that they agreed to influence legislation and deliver a pro‑Azerbaijan House floor speech.
- The couple’s trial had been scheduled to begin next April; both have denied wrongdoing and Cuellar has maintained his innocence.
- Trump characterized the prosecution as “weaponized,” saying Cuellar was punished for speaking out against Biden-era border policies and “Open Borders,” and the White House defended the clemency while criticizing pardons signed by President Biden.
- Cuellar said he was surprised by the pardon (first learning of it via a reporter’s text), publicly thanked Trump and God, said he is “back to work,” filed for reelection the same day and will remain a “conservative blue dog” Democrat rather than switching parties.
- Cuellar has argued the indictment’s timing was suspect (about 40 days before his election), said roughly $20 million was spent against him in the primary, and that he had a legal opinion and two ethics opinions supporting him before the DOJ moved forward.
- Context: Axios reports Trump has granted clemency to roughly a dozen current or former members of Congress, including commuting George Santos’ sentence and previously clemencying other ex-lawmakers (e.g., Rod Blagojevich, Michael Grimm, John Rowland).
- Cuellar represents a competitive U.S.–Mexico border district, a politically relevant detail noted in coverage of the pardon.
đź“Š Relevant Data
In 2023, the population of Congressional District 28, TX was 774,349, with 75% identifying as Hispanic, 18% as non-Hispanic White, and 4.28% as non-Hispanic Black.
Congressional District 28, TX | Data USA — Data USA
In 2023, the poverty rate in Congressional District 28, TX was 19.5%, higher than the national average of 12.4% and the national Hispanic poverty rate of 16.6%.
Congressional District 28, TX | Data USA — Data USA
In Fiscal Year 2024, the Laredo Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 31,108 migrant encounters, a 32% decrease from 45,644 in Fiscal Year 2023.
South Texas Border Patrol sectors saw big drops in migrant encounters in Fiscal 2024 — Border Report
According to a 2024 poll, 42% of Latino adults in the US support building a wall or fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, an increase of 12 points from 2021.
Latino support for border wall, deportations jumps, Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll shows — Axios
đź“° Sources (6)
- Cuellar says he was surprised by the pardon and first learned of it from a reporter’s text.
- He filed for reelection the same day and confirmed he will run as a Democrat, not switch parties.
- He characterized the overlap in timing between his filing and the pardon as coincidental.
- Cuellar publicly thanked President Trump and God and said he is "back to work."
- Article reiterates DOJ’s allegation that Cuellar accepted roughly $600,000 in bribes tied to Azerbaijan and a Mexico City bank and notes he has denied wrongdoing.
- White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended Trump’s use of clemency, stating 'the only pardons anyone should be critical of' were those signed by former President Biden.
- Axios reports roughly a dozen current or former members of Congress have received clemency from Trump.
- Adds context that Trump commuted former Rep. George Santos’ sentence in October and lists other ex-lawmakers granted clemency (e.g., Rod Blagojevich, Michael Grimm, John Rowland).
- Rep. Henry Cuellar says he will not switch parties and will remain a 'conservative blue dog' Democrat.
- Cuellar publicly thanks President Trump for the pardon and says he 'absolutely' believes the Biden administration targeted him.
- He says Trump’s team called him during the investigation and that 'some of [Trump’s] folks' have since reached out to work with him.
- Cuellar claims the indictment timing was 'very suspect'—about 40 days before his election—and says roughly $20 million was spent against him in the primary.
- He says he had a legal opinion and two ethics opinions supporting him before DOJ moved forward.
- The alleged bribe total is specified as nearly $600,000.
- Trump’s stated rationale includes that Cuellar was 'punished' for speaking out against the former president’s border policies.
- WSJ notes Cuellar represents a competitive district on the U.S.–Mexico border.
- Details of alleged scheme: prosecutors charged the Cuellars with taking payments to advance an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexican bank.
- Specific alleged actions: agreement to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan House floor speech.
- Case posture: the couple’s trial had been scheduled to begin next April; Cuellar maintains he and his wife are innocent.
- Trump’s stated rationale: he called the case 'weaponized,' praising Cuellar for speaking out against 'Open Borders' and linking the prosecution to Biden’s policies.