Trump issues full pardon to Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar

President Donald Trump has issued a full and unconditional pardon to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, bringing an abrupt end to a years-long legal battle involving allegations of foreign bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy.

The pardon followed months of continued legal pressure on the congressman, whose case centered on accusations that he and his wife accepted approximately $600,000 in payments from foreign entities — including an Azerbaijani state-controlled oil and gas company and a Mexico-based bank — and laundered the funds through a network of consulting contracts, shell companies, and intermediaries. Federal Bureau of Investigation raids on Cuellar’s home and campaign office in 2022 marked a turning point in the public profile of the case.

Trump Announces Pardon in Fiery Statement

In a social media post, Trump framed the pardon as an act of correcting political wrongdoing, accusing the prior administration of targeting Cuellar for political reasons.

Trump alleged that the Biden administration had “weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents” like Cuellar. He said, “Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH.”

Trump argued that Cuellar had “spoke out against Open Borders” and claimed the previous administration would “attack, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anyone who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Country.”

“Because of these facts, and others,” Trump wrote, “I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda.” He concluded his message by telling the congressman, “Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!”

The pardon arrives months after the Justice Department had reportedly been preparing to move forward with its prosecution. Earlier in the year, Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued directives limiting enforcement of certain foreign lobbying and bribery statutes, part of a broader recalibration of federal priorities related to corruption investigations.

Cuellar Responds: “The Noise Is Gone”

Cuellar, who has represented Texas’ 28th District since 2005, expressed gratitude in his own social media message. “I want to thank President Trump for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts,” he wrote.

“This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on.”

Included with his statement was a letter from the Cuellars’ daughters urging the president to intervene, asking for either dismissal of the case or a “full and unconditional pardon.”

A Case That Had Cast a Shadow for Years

The allegations against the Cuellars date back several years and involved claims that the congressman traded political influence for payments routed through his wife’s companies. Prosecutors had alleged that the couple used “sham consulting contracts” and “front companies and middlemen” to disguise the origin of foreign funds.

Though Cuellar consistently denied wrongdoing, the details of the case — coupled with the high-profile FBI raids — had weighed heavily on his political standing and raised questions about foreign influence in U.S. politics.

With Trump’s pardon, all federal charges connected to the investigation have been nullified, effectively ending the legal saga that had been expected to continue into next year.

The political implications of the move, however, are likely to reverberate far longer, as critics and supporters alike assess the precedent set by a presidential intervention in a major foreign bribery case.