Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is seen aft a gathering of the House Democratic Caucus successful the U.S. Capitol connected Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his woman in a national bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday, citing what helium called a "weaponized" justness system.
Trump, who has argued that his ain ineligible troubles were a partisan witch hunt, said connected societal media without presenting grounds that Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were prosecuted due to the fact that the congressman had been captious of President Joe Biden's migration policies.
Trump, a Republican, said successful a societal media station that Cuellar "bravely spoke retired against Open Borders" and accused Biden, a Democrat, of going aft the congressman and his woman "simply for speaking the TRUTH."
Federal authorities had charged Cuellar and his woman with accepting thousands of dollars successful speech for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled vigor institution and a slope in Mexico. Cuellar is accused of agreeing to power authorities favorable to Azerbaijan and present a pro-Azerbaijan speech connected the level of the U.S. House.
Cuellar has said helium and his woman are innocent. The couple's proceedings had been acceptable to statesman adjacent April.
"Henry, I don't cognize you, but you tin slumber good tonight," Trump wrote successful his societal media station announcing the pardon. "Your nightmare is yet over!"
Cuellar, who has served in Congress for much than 20 years, is simply a mean Democrat who represents an country connected the Texas-Mexico border and has a past of breaking with his enactment erstwhile it comes to migration and firearms.
He was among the astir vocal critics of the Biden administration's effect to a grounds fig of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. He besides is 1 of the last Democrats in Congress who opposes termination rights.
Cuellar is not the lone Democrat Trump has pardoned this year. In February, he pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, 5 years aft helium had commuted his condemnation successful a governmental corruption case.
Like successful Cuellar's case, Trump suggested that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, faced national corruption charges due to the fact that helium made comments captious of Biden's migration policies.
Trump did not pardon Adams, but aft Trump took office, the Justice Department moved to drop the case against the mayor, who had begun moving with the Republican medication connected migration issues.
A top Justice Department official, who was besides Trump's defence lawyer successful respective of his cases, stepped successful to question dismissal successful the case.
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