WASHINGTON โ(AP) – Former President Donald Trump on Fridayโ granted a full pardon to U.S. rep. Henry Cuellar, aโค Texas Democrat recently indicted on federal corruption โcharges.โค The pardon comes as Cuellarโฃ faces anโค ongoing ethics investigation in the House and raises โฃquestions about โคthe intersection of politicalโ allegiance and justice.
Cuellar, 70, was indicted in โMay on allegations of accepting bribesโ from an Azerbaijani oil โฃcompany and a Mexican bank. He maintainsโ his innocence.The House Ethics โCommittee โlaunched its โown investigationโ shortly after the indictment, coordinating with the โฃJustice โคDepartment to avoid conflicts withโฃ the criminal probe.
Trump’s โฃdecision echoes a previous pardon grantedโ in February to former illinois gov. Rod blagojevich, also convicted onโ corruption charges. โขIn both instances, Trump alluded to โคpotential politicalโข motivations behind the charges against the Democrats, suggesting New โYork City Mayor Eric Adams could face similar scrutiny for โคcriticizing โPresidentโฃ Biden’s โฃimmigrationโ policies. While Trump did not pardon adams, the Justice Department under his governance later dropped โa โขfederal case against the mayor after he began collaborating with the Republican administration on โฃimmigration issues.
A Justice Department official who previously served as Trump’s defense attorney was involved in the decision to drop the case against Adams.Cuellar has served in โขCongress forโ over two decades, representing a district alongโ the Texas-Mexico border, and is known forโ his moderateโค stances, often divergingโ from hisโฃ party on issues like โคimmigration and firearms. he has been aโค vocalโข critic โขof โthe Biden administration’s borderโ policies and โฃopposes abortion rights.