President Trump on Sunday slammed Rep. Henry Cuellar’s decision to seek re-election as a Democrat despite receiving a pardon last week for himself and his wife on federal bribery and money laundering charges.
Mr. Cuellar filed for re-election in Texas shortly after the Dec. 3 pardon, prompting Mr. Trump to accuse him of disloyalty.
“Only a short time after signing the pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be ‘running’ for congress again, in the great state of Texas (a state where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!), as a Democrat, continuing to work with the same radical left scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison — And probably still do!” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social. “Such a lack of loyalty.”
For his part, Mr. Cuellar told reporters last week that he was not switching parties: “Nothing has changed, I am a conservative Democrat,” the 11-term House member said.
The Biden Department of Justice had alleged that the Cuellars accepted $600,000 in bribes from Azerbaijan’s state oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for official acts.
Mr. Trump said Sunday the Justice Department prosecuted Mr. Cuellar because he had called on former President Joseph R. Biden to do more to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.
Mr. Trump said he pardoned the Cuellars after their daughters wrote him a “beautiful letter about their parents.”
“I never spoke to the Congressman, his wife, or his daughters, but felt very good about fighting for a family that was tormented by very sick and deranged people — They were treated sooo badly!” Mr. Trump posted.
The Justice Department last year alleged that Mr. Cueller and his wife, Imelda, laundered bribe payments — in the form of “sham” consulting contracts — through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Ms. Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts.”
“In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan,” the Justice Department said at the time. “In exchange for the bribes paid by the Mexican bank, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence legislative activity and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank.”
