President Donald Trump has pardoned Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, in a federal bribery and conspiracy case. The pardon was announced on Wednesday, with Trump citing what he described as a “weaponised” justice system.
Trump argued that the congressman was targeted by former President Joe Biden because of Cuellar’s criticism of Biden’s immigration policies. In a social media post, Trump said Cuellar “bravely spoke out against Open Borders” and accused Biden of pursuing the couple “simply for speaking the TRUTH”.
Federal authorities had charged the 69-year-old congressman and his wife with accepting thousands of dollars in bribes. The charges alleged that Cuellar agreed to influence legislation favourable to Azerbaijan and to deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the US House, as well as to advance the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico.
Trump has frequently claimed that his own legal troubles were the result of a partisan witch-hunt, and he has used similar language to justify the Cuellar pardon.
