President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted a full pardon to Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, in a federal bribery and conspiracy case, calling their prosecution a product of a “weaponized” justice system.
According to The Associated Press, Trump, who has repeatedly claimed his own legal challenges were politically motivated, argued on social media that the Cuellars were targeted because the congressman had criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
Cuellar, 69, and his wife had been accused of accepting thousands of dollars to influence legislation on behalf of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexican bank.
Federal prosecutors alleged Cuellar agreed to promote Azerbaijan’s interests and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the House floor. The couple has maintained their innocence.
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight,” Trump wrote in a social media post announcing the pardon. “Your nightmare is finally over!”
He also accused the Biden administration of going after Cuellar “simply for speaking the TRUTH” and commended the congressman for having “bravely spoke out against Open Borders.”
The couple’s trial had been scheduled to begin next April. Cuellar, a veteran lawmaker representing South Texas for over 20 years, serves a district that stretches from San Antonio to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Cuellar is not the only Democrat Trump has pardoned this year. In February, he issued a pardon to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, five years after commuting his sentence in a political corruption case.
Trump also claimed that New York City Mayor Eric Adams faced federal scrutiny because of his criticism of Biden’s immigration policies, though Adams was not pardoned; the Justice Department eventually dropped the case after he began cooperating with the Trump administration on immigration matters.
Trump’s intervention in the Cuellar case underscores his continued use of the pardon power to shield lawmakers and political figures he views as victims of partisan prosecution. The move is likely to fuel further debate over the boundaries of executive clemency and its role in politically sensitive cases.
With the pardon issued, Cuellar and his wife are now freed from the looming threat of trial, ending a high-profile legal saga that had drawn national attention.
