Embattled Democrat Henry Cuellar says Trump pardon caught him off guard
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Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday evening that his pardon and its timing were a surprise.
“I received a message from the media [member, who] ‘Do you want to talk about this amnesty?’ he says. And I thought they were talking about the Honduran president,” Cuellar said, referring to a separate pardon Trump announced earlier this week.
“And they said, ‘No, no, no; not the president of Honduras. Sorry.’ So I didn’t know,” Cuellar said.
DEM CONGRESS MEMBER, who was pardoned by TRUMP, ACCUSES BIDEN ERA DOJ OF WEAPONIZATION
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is seen at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 4, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
The pardon comes as Cuellar filed for reelection on Wednesday, indicating his intention to run as a Democrat.
In May 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Cuellar with bribery and acting as a foreign agent for allegedly accepting $600,000 from the Azerbaijani government in exchange for the congressman’s assistance in Washington.
“Congressman Cuellar allegedly received approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan and a bank headquartered in Mexico City,” the Justice Department said. in a press release In that case.
“In exchange for bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan,” the Justice Department said. he added.
EV DEMI, WHO WAS FORGIVEN BY TRUMP, REVEALED THAT HE WILL CHANGE POLITICAL PARTIES
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, right, arrives for a meeting of House Democrats on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 19, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press)
Although a criminal complaint was filed against Cuellar, a conviction has not yet been given. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The embattled congressman has a history of voting against his party’s majority. Since the beginning of the 119th Congress, Cuellar has broken with the prevailing Democratic consensus 62 times; this accounts for 21.3% of all council considerations. Other than Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), no one in the chamber has such high levels of disagreement with his own party.
Cuellar, who faced questions about whether he was considering switching sides, said that the timing of his application and its coincidence with the amnesty were completely coincidental.
“The timing was just a coincidence,” Cuellar said. “I was busy watching the match against UT [Texas] A&M.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCES THE AMNESTY OF DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE HENRY CUELLAR
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, spoke with Fox News Digital along the Rio Grande during a bipartisan Congressional delegation to the border. (Elizabeth Elkind/Fox News)
Cuellar did not address why he believes he received a pardon.
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“I want to thank the President, President Donald Trump, for what he did. Second, I definitely want to thank God. It was a very difficult time. And third: Back to work,” Cuellar said.
