Trump Pardons congressman Cuellar, Others in Wave of Clemency Actions
Former President Donald Trump issued a series of pardons on Wednesday, including a controversial full and conditional pardon for Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas. Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were facing federal charges related to alleged bribery and conspiracy stemming from their alleged acceptance of money from a Mexican foreign intelligence official.
The pardons also extended to a former Republican governor of Connecticut, an ex-GOP congressman, and individuals convicted of financial crimes like bank fraud and tax evasion. Additionally, Timothy J. Leiweke, co-founder of Oak View Group, received a pardon despite being indicted in July 2024 – by Trump’s own Justice Department – for allegedly rigging the bidding process for a university arena in Austin, Texas. Leiweke had pleaded not guilty.
The decision to pardon Cuellar was accompanied by the public release of a November 12th letter from his daughters, Christina and Catherine, appealing for clemency. They referenced their own experiences with hardship and expressed empathy for the Cuellar family’s situation. Cuellar himself stated he was aware of the letter but did not anticipate the outcome.
Cuellar’s legal team had previously made a “substantive presentation” to the Justice Department seeking dismissal of the charges, though details of their arguments remain undisclosed. Imelda Cuellar’s lawyers affirmed her long-held claim of innocence.
Despite the pardon, Cuellar remains under investigation by the House Ethics Commitee, wich began its inquiry in May 2024 and reauthorized it in July. The committee is coordinating with the Justice Department to manage the parallel investigations.
A long-serving moderate democrat representing a Texas-Mexico border district, Cuellar has frequently deviated from his party’s platform, particularly on immigration and gun control. He has been a vocal critic of the Biden governance’s border policies and is one of the few remaining Democrats in Congress who opposes abortion rights.
When questioned about potential political motivations, Trump stated the pardons were unrelated to any concerns about strengthening Cuellar’s reelection prospects.He claimed Cuellar was targeted due to his criticism of immigration policies,stating the Congressman “represents the people on the border and he saw what was happening.” Cuellar filed for reelection on Wednesday.
This is not the first instance of Trump pardoning a Democrat. In February, he pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, having previously commuted his sentence in a corruption case. trump also alluded to a similar pattern regarding New York City Mayor Eric Adams, suggesting federal corruption investigations were linked to Adams’ criticism of Biden’s immigration policies. While Trump did not pardon Adams, the Justice Department under his administration moved to drop the case against the mayor after he began collaborating with the Republican administration on immigration matters, with a top Justice Department official – also a former Trump defense lawyer - intervening to seek dismissal.
