Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Cuellar in bribery and conspiracy case

WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy development on Wednesday citing what he called a weaponized justice system Trump who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch hunt declared on social media without presenting evidence that Cuellar and his wife Imelda Cuellar were prosecuted because the congressman had been critical of President Joe Biden s immigration policies Trump a Republican explained in a social media post that Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders and accused Biden a Democrat of going after the congressman and his wife completely for speaking the TRUTH Federal officers had charged Cuellar and his wife with accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled vitality company and a bank in Mexico Cuellar is accused of agreeing to influence law favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the U S House Cuellar has explained he and his wife are innocent The couple s trial had been set to begin next April Henry I don t know you but you can sleep well tonight Trump wrote in his social media post announcing the pardon Your nightmare is absolutely over Cuellar who has served in Congress for more than years is a moderate Democrat who represents an area on the Texas-Mexico confines and has a history of latest with his party when it comes to immigration and firearms He was among the bulk vocal critics of the Biden administration s response to a record number of settlers moving across the U S -Mexico limit He also is one of the last Democrats in Congress who opposes abortion rights Cuellar is not the only Democrat Trump has pardoned this year In February he pardoned former Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich five years after he had commuted his sentence in a political corruption affair Like in Cuellar s incident Trump suggested that New York City Mayor Eric Adams a Democrat faced federal corruption charges because he made comments critical of Biden s immigration policies Trump did not pardon Adams but after Trump took office the Justice Department moved to drop the development against the mayor who had begun working with the Republican administration on immigration issues A top Justice Department official who was also Trump s defense lawyer in several of his cases stepped in to seek dismissal in the circumstance