President Donald Trump pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) on Wednesday morning for federal money laundering, bribery, and illegal “foreign influence” charges.
“One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH. It is unAmerican and, as I previously stated, the Radical Left Democrats are a complete and total threat to Democracy!” he continued.
Trump criticized the indictment back in 2024, saying it was because of Cuellar’s criticism of Biden’s border policies.
In 2024, the Biden-era Department of Justice charged Cuellar and his wife with having “accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City” from 2014 to 2021.
“I want to thank President Trump for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts. I thank God for standing with my family and I during this difficult time. This decision clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas,” Cuellar posted to X after the news broke.
“This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on. Thank you Mr. President, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America,” he added.
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His daughters sent a clemency request letter to President Trump on November 12, saying that the actions of Cuellar and his wife “were lawful and consistent” with his role in Congress, adding that the Democrat received a “written legal opinion” and opinions from the House Ethics Committee stating that his actions were lawful.
“Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!” the president further stated.
Last May, the Democrat said in a statement that “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations.”
Cuellar is running for re-election in 2026 in a competitive South Texas district rated a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report.
Trump has pardoned and commuted the sentences of other noteworthy politicians since returning to the White House. He pardoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) in February and commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in October.
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!” Trump wrote of Santos.
Earlier this week, the president said that pardons signed during the Biden administration with an autopen are no longer valid.
“Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN,’ within the Administration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect,” he wrote. “Anyone receiving ‘Pardons,’ ‘Commutations,’ or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect.”
