Trump pardons South Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, speaks during a 2022 appearance in Zapata County. — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, speaks throughout a 2022 look in Zapata County. Credit score: Wikimedia Commons / USDA Media by Lance Cheung

Scandal-mired U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, has turn into the newest beneficiary of President Donald Trump’s controversial pardon machine.

Trump introduced Cuellar’s pardon Wednesday morning through Fact Social, blaming the South Texas congressman’s authorized woes on a favourite goal of the present White Home: former President Joe Biden.

Cuellar, whose district additionally features a portion of San Antonio, confronted federal costs of bribery, cash laundering and conspiracy associated to his alleged interactions with the oil-rich authorities of Azerbaijan. A 2022 FBI raid on his Laredo residence and workplace drew nationwide media consideration.

Nevertheless, in a put up liberated from the confines of typical grammar and capitalization, Trump claimed that Biden unfairly turned the Justice Division towards the 11-term congressman as a result of he dared to talk out towards the administration’s border coverage.

“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s great spouse, Imelda, merely for talking the TRUTH,” Trump wrote. “It’s unAmerican [sic] and, as I beforehand acknowledged, the Radical Left Democrats are an entire and complete menace to Democracy! They are going to assault, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anybody who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Nation.”

Trump concluded: “Henry, I don’t know you, however you’ll be able to lastly sleep properly tonight — Your [sic] nightmare is lastly over!”

Bribery allegations

The feds final 12 months charged Cuellar and his spouse, Imelda, with accepting almost $600,000 in bribes from two international entities as a part of a purported influence-peddling scheme that ran from 2014 till no less than 2021, paperwork present.

Cuellar has denied that he and his spouse did something unsuitable, including that his actions had been “in line with the actions of lots of my colleagues and within the curiosity of the American individuals.”

Regardless of the Cuellars’ authorized woes, the average Democrat received his 2024 reelection by almost 6 factors, at the same time as his district swung to Trump by 7. His trial on the federal costs was set to begin in September, however a federal decide shifted the date to April, placing it a number of months earlier than the midterms.

Change in tone

After the lethal Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, Cuellar performed a key function in making an attempt to take away Trump from workplace through the twenty fifth Modification.

Nevertheless, Cuellar his shifted his tone about Trump within the wake of his authorized troubles.

After attending the president’s November 2024 inauguration, Cuellar fired off a tweet calling it a “privilege” to be invited and wishing the incoming administration “nothing however the perfect.” He additionally solid votes backing Trump’s nonprofit killer invoice and the Republican-led mass deportation proposal generally known as the Laken Riley Act.

Trump has drawn criticism for repeatedly utilizing his presidential powers to grant clemency to pals, monetary backers, political allies and right-wing tradition warriors.

Thus far in his second time period, Trump has pardoned disgraced former New York congressman George Santos, ally and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and almost 1,600 individuals dealing with costs or being punished for his or her alleged roles within the Jan. 6 rebellion.

Regardless of making an attempt to justify his administration’s navy strikes on Venezuelan fishing boats as an try to battle drug smuggling, Trump final week pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who confronted a 45-year conviction on cocaine trafficking costs.

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