Trump says he is pardoning Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat facing bribery charges
Henry Cuellar | Courtesy: MGN
Washington — President Trump announced Wednesday that he is pardoning Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was indicted last year on more than a dozen federal charges related to bribery allegations.
Mr. Trump announced the pardon for Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, on Truth Social, claiming their prosecution was the result of weaponization by the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden.
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!” the president wrote, alleging that Cuellar’s opposition to Biden’s immigration policies was the reason he was indicted.
Mr. Trump included in his social media post a letter he received from Cuellar’s daughters requesting clemency for their parents.
The two women, Christina and Catherine Cuellar, wrote in their letter that they believed the congressman’s “independence and honesty may have contributed to how this case began.”
“He has never been afraid to speak his mind, especially when it comes to protecting the people of South Texas and securing the border from policies of the previous administration,” they told the president.
In last year’s indictment, federal prosecutors accused the Cuellars of accepting at least $598,000 in bribes from an oil and gas company owned by the government of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. They alleged that the bribes were laundered in the form of sham consulting contracts through front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar. The congressman’s wife, according to the indictment, “performed little or no legitimate” work under the consulting contracts.
The Justice Department also accused Cuellar of acting as a foreign agent to benefit the government of Azerbaijan.
He faced 14 counts, including conspiracy, bribery and money laundering. Cuellar and his wife pleaded not guilty.
The congressman, who served as the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, stepped down from the post while the case continued. Cuellar won reelection to Texas’ 28th Congressional District last year, defeating his Republican opponent by more than 13,000 votes.
