No more Mr. Nice Guy…
In a social media post, President Trump suggested that he may have expected Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar to help Republicans maintain their slim majority in the House during the 2026 midterm elections after the congressman received a pardon from Trump.
Cuellar is a Democrat and has represented Texas’ 28th district as a member of that party since 2005. Last week, President Trump pardoned him and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, who were both indicted last year on federal bribery charges. Their two daughters, Christina and Catherine, had sent Trump a letter in November asking that he pardon their parents.
While announcing his decision to grant the pardon, Trump claimed the allegations against the Cuellar’s resulted from political targeting by the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden.
Shortly after President Trump issued the pardons, Cuellar announced his decision to launch another congressional campaign, still as a Democratic candidate. In a Truth Social post on Sunday about Cuellar, Trump slammed the congressman for not switching parties in the wake of the president’s favor. (RELATED: Capitol Hill Buzz: Indicted Congressman Henry Cuellar May Switch Parties After Presidential Pardon)
“Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be ‘running’ for Congress again, in the Great State of Texas (a state where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!), as a Democrat, continuing to work with the same Radical left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison – And provably still do!” wrote Mr. Trump, characterizing Cuellar’s move as “such a lack of LOYALTY.”
“Next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!” the president added.
In an interview on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” Cuellar defended himself as a “conservative Democrat” who was willing to work with the Trump administration and said he had prayed for the president and his family at church that morning.
“I prayed for the presidency because if the president succeeds, the country succeeds,” Mr. Cuellar said, adding that “as probably the most bipartisan individual, I don’t vote party. I vote for what’s right for the country.”
Rep. Cuellar was indicted by a federal grand jury last year on charges that he and his wife had accepted roughly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for promises that he would use his position in ways that would benefit Azerbaijan and the bank.
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To paraphrase a song: He knew damn well he was a snake before he let him out.
Geez, i really hope Trump didn’t pardon this scumbag only on the hopes that he would change parties! If he’s guilty, he should be in prison, no matter what party he belongs to. Come on Man! I guess Trump needs to wise up.
It was a big mistake to pardon them anyway, a selfish political move like buying his future votes. That was not a principled move.
Being relatively close to Cuellar’s district (I get all of the TV and radio propaganda) it is obvious that he was being ‘punished’ for NOT toeing (towing?) the party line by the party hierarchy and not necessarily the ‘d’ voters of the district. I understand DJT pardoning him but have to point out that the only way Henry can get reelected is to run as a ‘d’. A quick look at who the party ran against him in the last primary will show how the party bosses operate.