WASHINGTON — In a striking bipartisan move that stunned political observers, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has issued a “full and unconditional” pardon to Texas Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, who had been facing federal bribery charges since 2024.
The announcement was made in a lengthy post on Truth Social, where Trump accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the Department of Justice against political opponents — including members of its own party.
“For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them,” Trump wrote. He specifically pointed to Cuellar’s outspoken criticism of Biden-era open-border policies as the alleged reason the congressman and his wife became targets of what Trump called an “unAmerican” prosecution.
The Justice Department had charged the Cuellars in May 2024 with 14 felony counts, alleging that Henry Cuellar accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan state-owned oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for official acts. Two counts were later dropped at prosecutors’ request, leaving 12 charges headed to trial in 2026. The couple had pleaded not guilty and maintained their innocence throughout.
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!” Trump concluded in his post, which also included a letter from the Cuellars’ daughters describing their parents as honest public servants unfairly targeted by federal authorities.
Moments after the pardon was announced, Cuellar posted a statement on X expressing profound gratitude:
“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. 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.”
The pardon comes on the same day Cuellar officially filed for reelection in Texas’s 28th Congressional District, a majority-Hispanic, South Texas seat that stretches from Laredo to the eastern outskirts of San Antonio. Despite the indictment hanging over his 2024 campaign, Cuellar won an 11th term last year with 52% of the vote.
Cuellar, 69, has long been one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress — pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and a frequent critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border. Those positions earned him powerful enemies within his own party’s progressive wing but occasional praise from Republicans. His moderate-to-conservative voting record and willingness to work across the aisle made him a rare Democratic holdout in an increasingly Republican-leaning region.
The indictment stemmed from two alleged bribery schemes:
Between 2014 and 2021, prosecutors claimed Cuellar accepted payments from Azerbaijan’s state oil company in exchange for advancing pro-Azerbaijan policies in Congress, including speeches and legislative language favorable to the regime.
Separately, beginning in 2016, Cuellar and his wife allegedly took bribes from a Mexico City-based bank to influence U.S. policy on anti-money-laundering measures that threatened the bank’s operations.
Payments were allegedly routed through sham consulting contracts to companies controlled by Imelda Cuellar, who prosecutors said performed little or no legitimate work.
The pardon immediately halts all federal proceedings against the couple. Because no trial had yet taken place, the legal principle of presumed innocence remains intact, though the allegations will likely shadow Cuellar’s political career for years to come.
Reaction on Capitol Hill was swift and sharply divided.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had stood by Cuellar throughout the investigation, called the charges “very thin” and said the pardon was “exactly the right outcome.” Other senior Democrats who previously endorsed Cuellar — including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn — had remained publicly supportive even after the indictment.
Republicans offered mixed responses ranging from cautious acceptance to outright frustration. Some GOP strategists had viewed the 28th District as a prime pickup opportunity in 2026, especially after recent redistricting shifted the seat several points to the right. Trump’s pardon effectively neutralizes what had been a central attack line against the incumbent.
Senator Ted Cruz simply noted that “the Constitution gives the president exclusive authority to grant pardons” and that Trump had exercised that power. Other Texas Republicans were more circumspect, with several declining to comment publicly.
Cuellar dismissed speculation that the pardon was part of any deal or that he might switch parties. Speaking to reporters outside his congressional office, he reaffirmed his Democratic identity and said he looks forward to personally thanking President Trump at a White House holiday event next week.
Progressive activists and left-leaning commentators expressed outrage, accusing Democratic leadership of hypocrisy for defending Cuellar despite the seriousness of the foreign-influence allegations. Meanwhile, some conservative voices praised Trump’s decision as a corrective to perceived DOJ overreach under the previous administration.
The Cuellar pardon is the latest in a series of high-profile acts of clemency issued by Trump since returning to office in January 2025. In recent months, he has pardoned or commuted sentences for several figures prosecuted for public corruption, narcotics trafficking, and other offenses — moves that have reignited long-standing debates over the scope and limits of presidential pardon power.
For the people of South Texas, the legal drama now takes a backseat to more immediate concerns: trade, infrastructure, water rights, and border security. Cuellar, unburdened by the looming trial, vowed to redouble his focus on those issues.
“The work remains,” he repeated in multiple interviews Wednesday evening. “And I intend to meet it head on.”
