Trump pardons Texas Congressman Cuellar and wife

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Taking a bribe is not a crime in trump's world

BREAKING: Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a bribery and conspiracy case brought by federal prosecutors.

— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) 2025-12-03T15:54:19Z

https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-cuellar-45a47bc329bec820cd19c087b20fca19

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday, citing what he called a “weaponized” justice system.

Trump, who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch hunt, said on social media that the congressman and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were prosecuted because Henry Cuellar had been critical of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

Trump, a Republican, said in a social media post that Cuellar “bravely spoke out against Open Borders” and accused Biden, a Democrat, of going after the congressman and his wife “simply for speaking the TRUTH.”

Federal authorities had charged Cuellar, 69, and his wife with accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico. Cuellar is accused of agreeing to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the U.S. House.

Cuellar has said he and his wife are innocent.

[spanone]

1. trmp loves criminals.

[riversedge]

2. "Henry, I don't know you, but you can sleep well tonight," Trump wrote in his social media post announcing the pardon. "

Being the cynical type--I suspect Trump just wants to tell the world what a nice, fair guy he is--by pardoning a Democrat.
BUT this case has not gone to trial yet--


https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-cuellar-45a47bc329bec820cd19c087b20fca19

..................
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight,” Trump wrote in his social media post announcing the pardon. “Your nightmare is finally over!”

The couple’s trial had been set to begin next April. Cuellar has served in Congress for over 20 years, and his district stretches from San Antonio to the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

3. Since Trump himself is a criminal, his "pardons" are just him breaking fellow convicts out of jail.

[Wiz Imp]

4. Will this finally get the idiot voters in his District to kick him to the curb?

That district deserves a true Democrat, not a Republican posing as one.

[Celerity]

10. His district's never in history voted for a Rethug. We could've been done w/ him in 2020, 2022 but Pelosi etc stepped in

and bigfooted a great Dem in Jessica Cisneros in both primaries (she barely lost both times). Cisneros did not even try in 2024 as many in Dem leadership, plus AIPAC, etc went all in on Cuellar, who, post-indictment, won the general with by far his smallest winning margin ever (and that was against a pretty weak Rethug opponent).





2020

2022

2024

[sinkingfeeling]

5. I can remember when Repubs called Democrats soft on crime.

[newdeal2]

6. Like he did for Blago

Who now is indebted to him forever.

[surfered]

7. Pardon your friends , prosecute your enemies. Don Snoreleone💤

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Trump wants to normalize politicians accepting bribes.

Link to tweet

[UTUSN]

9. So will BlueDog CUELLAR or whatever he is, now hop the aisle?

He's always gotten the endorsements from the Dem hierarchy in his elections and, gotta say, voted almost all Dem, but all with his hefty dose of Faux Propaganda Network appearances and criticizing the Dem administrations (mostly about Border?) . He's in the Laredo, TX, border district. HIs latest primary contestants have been young, Progressive women, and they were said to be sure fire losers to outright Wingnuts from the Big Ranch/Oil? owners of the power establishment there. Seems like he must have reached out to Dear Leader for the pardon, since Dear wouldn't know him from the rest of his ignorant topics.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. Trump's Pay-to-Pardon Scheme

This week Trump pardoned a private equity fraudster, the drug-trafficking ex-president of Honduras, and a Congressman who allegedly took bribes.

Meanwhile, he's weaponizing government to go after his enemies.

An utter mockery of the rule of law. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NflcWXdV-B0

— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) 2025-12-03T19:27:10.181535Z

[Takket]

12. Keep draining that swamp!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

13. MadowBlog-Trump's pardon for Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar fits a pro-corruption pattern

Trump appears to have a soft spot for politicians accused or convicted of corruption charges, regardless of party.

Trump’s pardon for Henry Cuellar is part of a truly ridiculous pro-corruption pattern, spanning both of his terms.

The message to politicians convicted or accused of corruption couldn’t be clearer: You have a friend in the Oval Office. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-03T18:12:42.085Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-pardon-henry-cuellar-corruption

It seemed like only a matter of time before the public would learn about a possible indictment against the Texas Democrat. In May 2024, as Republicans continued to insist that the Biden-era Justice Department was out to get GOP officials, that’s precisely what happened: Prosecutors brought corruption charges against the congressman.

A year and a half later, Donald Trump pardoned Cuellar. As my MS NOW colleague Erum Salam reported:

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he would pardon Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife, Imelda, who were indicted in 2024 on charges of bribery, unlawful foreign influence and money laundering. ‘Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!’ Trump wrote in his announcement of the pardon on Truth Social.

On the surface, these developments might appear counterintuitive, since the president is a Republican and the controversial congressman is a Democrat. But that’s what makes the broader pattern so important: Trump appears to have a soft spot for politicians accused of — and in some cases, convicted of — corruption charges, regardless of party.

In the president’s first term, for example, he pardoned seven former Republican members of Congress, each of whom had been convicted of corruption charges: New York’s Chris Collins, California’s Duncan Hunter, Texas’ Steve Stockman, Arizona’s Rick Renzi, North Carolina’s Robin Hayes, Michigan’s Mark Siljander and California’s Randall “Duke” Cunningham......

Let’s also not forget that Trump’s Justice Department has also abandoned the criminal case against a former Republican congressman who’d already been found guilty of corruption by a jury, while simultaneously taking steps to abandon a corruption investigation targeting an incumbent Republican congressman.

And did I mention that Trump’s DOJ also dropped its corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams? Because that happened, too.

The message to politicians convicted or accused of corruption couldn’t be clearer: You have a friend in the Oval Office.

[IcyPeas]

14. Bribery, sexual abuse/harassment, no big deal

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. Donny aiding and abetting crime

[LetMyPeopleVote]

16. MaddowBlog-Trump didn't do Republicans any favors with his pardon of an indicted congressman

The GOP wanted to use Rep. Henry Cuellar’s criminal indictment against him. The president didn’t seem to care.

Trump didn’t do Republicans any favors with his pardon of an indicted congressman - MS NOW

apple.news/AdKxkGO8sRyW...

— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2025-12-04T16:02:53.235Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-didnt-do-republicans-any-favors-with-his-pardon-of-an-indicted-congressman

As Democrats look ahead with increased confidence to the 2026 midterm elections, Republicans are narrowing their focus, considering specific races where the GOP can at least try to stem the tide. Near the top of the party’s target list is Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, whose Laredo-area district backed Donald Trump by seven points last fall......

The developments are important for a variety of reasons, but for GOP officials, the clemency was a setback: The Republicans’ own president had just taken away a cudgel the party had hoped to use against one of their top 2026 election targets.

What’s more, according to an Axios report, Trump didn’t bother to give his ostensible allies a heads-up, either. From the report:

President Trump didn’t tell Speaker Mike Johnson that he was granting a ‘full and unconditional PARDON’ to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) before announcing it on Truth Social this morning, Johnson told Axios. … Trump’s pardon boosts one of House Republicans’ top political targets — and could hamper GOP efforts to protect their razor-thin majority in next year’s midterms.

....As for the president’s rationale, at a White House event on Wednesday afternoon, Trump tried to blame Joe Biden for the series of events.

Trump on Cuellar: "He was treated very badly because he said that people should not be allowed to pour into our country ... he got indicted for speaking the truth."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-12-03T21:23:19.591Z

....In other words, Trump didn’t only clear the slate for a lawmaker accused of corruption while simultaneously undermining the work of federal law enforcement officials, he also hurt his own party’s electoral plans because of a ridiculous conspiracy theory that only the president believes.

No wonder GOP officials in Congress sound frustrated.