Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has declared his intention to pardon U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, along with his wife, thereby concluding the congressman’s lengthy federal legal struggles. Cuellar was facing multiple allegations, including bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy.
In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump stated that Cuellar had been unfairly targeted by a politicized Department of Justice under the Biden administration due to his outspoken criticism of the administration’s border policies. “Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH,” Trump remarked.
On the same day, Cuellar submitted his application for reelection as a Democrat, dispelling rumors regarding a potential party switch. During a session on the House floor in the afternoon, Cuellar was warmly received by many Democratic colleagues, who greeted him with hugs and handshakes.
The legal troubles for Cuellar began in 2022 when the FBI conducted a raid on his home and office as part of an investigation into Azerbaijan’s diplomatic practices. In 2024, Cuellar and his wife were indicted on 12 counts of bribery, conspiracy, and money laundering, which alleged that the congressman had received nearly $600,000 in bribes from both a Central Asian country and a Mexican commercial bank. The indictment claimed that these funds were funneled through shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, and that the congressman subsequently advocated for policies that favored Azerbaijani interests.
Although Cuellar’s trial was initially scheduled to start in September, a federal judge postponed the proceedings to April, which falls after the March primary but before what is anticipated to be a fiercely contested general election. Throughout this challenging period, Cuellar has consistently asserted his innocence.
Two of Cuellar’s political advisers had already entered guilty pleas for their roles in conspiring to launder over $200,000 in bribes from a Mexican bank.
With Trump’s pardon, Cuellar is now free from any legal consequences associated with the bribery case.
“I want to thank President Trump for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts,” Cuellar expressed in a statement on X. “I thank God for standing with my family and me during this difficult time. This decision clears the air and allows us to move forward for South Texas.”
“This pardon gives us a clean slate,” he continued. “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.”
Since resuming his presidency in January, Trump, who has faced numerous indictments himself, has engaged in a wave of pardons and commutations. He has granted over 1,500 pardons to individuals ranging from Jan. 6 defendants to white-collar criminals, and now, a sitting Democratic congressman. In October, he also commuted the prison sentence of Republican Representative George Santos for wire fraud and identity theft.
Trump noted that the pardon would extend to Imelda Cuellar as well. He included a letter dated November 12 from Cuellar’s daughters, which requested clemency for their parents and indicated that their father’s “independence and honesty” regarding border policy may have contributed to the initiation of the case.
“President Trump, you once publicly said that you believed the indictment was wrong — and later, at a White House picnic, you told me personally, as you pointed to my father, that he was a ‘good man’,” Catherine and Christina Cuellar wrote in their letter. “Those words meant more than you could ever know.”
In his post, Trump reiterated the Cuellar daughters’ perspective on their father’s position on border issues.
“For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them,” Trump stated. “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.’”
Cuellar, a longstanding figure in Laredo and a staple of South Texas politics, has faced significant electoral challenges in both primaries and general elections. He is now considered a prime target for Republicans in the upcoming 2026 elections. Cuellar represents a district that Trump carried by a margin of 7 percentage points, and Texas Republicans have aimed to complicate his reelection efforts by redistricting, making his district lean even more favorably towards Trump by 10 percentage points. Known for being one of the most moderate Democrats in the House and the last federally elected anti-abortion Democrat, Cuellar has successfully navigated every electoral challenge, even as South Texas voters shifted towards the right and his indictment became public.
This election cycle, he is contending with a formidable Republican challenger — Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a former Democrat, who declared his candidacy on Tuesday and emphasized that Cuellar’s “serious federal corruption accusations have shaken the trust of the people he is supposed to serve,” in his announcement.
On Wednesday, Tijerina clarified that his campaign was not launched in response to Cuellar’s legal issues.
“I did not launch my campaign because Congressman Cuellar was in trouble; I am running because South Texas is in trouble,” Tijerina stated. “Henry stopped fighting for South Texas years ago, instead working for his DC bosses and their special interests. That isn’t South Texas values.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed his support for the president’s pardon, although he was unclear on the president’s motivations.
“The reality is this indictment was very thin to begin with,” Jeffries commented. “I don’t know why the president decided to do this. I think the outcome was exactly the right outcome.”
Jeffries is expected to be a special guest at an upcoming virtual fundraiser hosted by Cuellar, according to sources familiar with the event.
Both Speaker Mike Johnson and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson indicated they were unaware of Trump’s plan to pardon Cuellar. However, Johnson remarked that he did not believe it would complicate Republicans’ efforts to maintain their House majority in 2026.
“No, that has no effect on us at all,” Johnson stated. “That’s a very competitive district, and we’ll have a strong candidate in that district, and we’ll win, because we have a great record to run on.”
Texas Republicans, along with their counterparts in Washington, have frequently highlighted Cuellar’s legal troubles in their campaigns against him. However, with Trump’s pardon, which he referred to Cuellar as “beloved” in his communication, the president has effectively diminished one of the most potent arguments that Republicans have had against the congressman.
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — your nightmare is finally over!” Trump concluded.
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.
You have read articles this month. You have unlimited free articles remaining because we don’t have a paywall.
Texans need the truth. Help us report it.
Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune provides fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?
Support Independent Texas News. Become a member. Join today. Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?
$18 $20 $25 Other Donate Now You have read articles this month. You have unlimited free articles remaining because we don’t have a paywall.
Texans need the truth. Help us report it.
Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?
Support Independent Texas News. Become a member. Join today. Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who
