- Trump pardons Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar.
- Claims Cuellar was unfairly targeted.
- Alleges Biden administration's case politically motivated.
While Trump has liberally used his pardon authority since taking office, his Wednesday pardon of Cuellar, who was charged in 2024 alongside his wife on foreign influence and money laundering allegations, stands out. Trump, a Republican, has rarely used his influence to help members of the rival Democratic Party.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Cuellar and his wife were targeted for "speaking the TRUTH" about the Biden administration's management of the southern US border.
Cuellar, whose district borders the United States and Mexico, was a vociferous Democratic critic of the Biden administration's immigration discourse and tactics.
In his article, Trump reiterated his allegations that Biden exploited the US Department of Justice to punish political opponents. Critics, however, accuse Trump of doing exactly that.
“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH,”
Trump said.
“Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda.”
Trump added a personal message for the congressman:
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!”
The article included what looked to be a letter from Cuellar's children demanding a pardon. They also thought that their "father's independence and honesty may have contributed to how this case began".
Cuellar and his wife were accused by federal prosecutors of participating in two schemes involving "bribery, unlawful foreign influence, and money laundering".
The pair allegedly accepted bribes of up to $600,000 from two foreign entities, the Azerbaijani government and a Mexican bank in return for influence in Congress and the executive branch.
The money was allegedly laundered through shell businesses owned by Imelda Cuellar.
Cuellar's trial was slated to begin in April 2026, but he and his wife have maintained their innocence.
In a post on X, he praised Trump for "taking the time to look at the facts" in his case.
“This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on,”
he said.
What legal limits exist on presidential preemptive pardons?
The amnesty power applies only to civil felonious offenses, not state crimes or civil matters. The chairman can not issue absolutions in cases of indictment. Preemptive absolutions( before charges or persuasions) are naturally admissible and have been upheld by Supreme Court precedents like Ex Parte Garland (1866), affirming the chairman's broad leniency authority.
The amnesty power is largely unbounded by Congress or courts and can not be formally granted. Tentative absolutions may be subject to some internal indigenous limits, substantially that conditions can not put fresh rights restrictions beyond the conviction itself.
The chairman's power can not circumvent the indictment process but importantly can be exercised at any stage of felonious proceedings, including preemptively. Therefore, while controversial politically, presidential preemptive absolutions are largely unfettered fairly except for these indigenous boundaries.