Trump Pardons Democratic Rep. Cuellar—Who Voted To Impeach Him Twice

Trump said on Truth Social he had granted a “full and unconditional PARDON” to Cuellar and his wife, after the congressman was indicted in 2024 for allegedly accepting bribes from foreign entities.

Prosecutors accused Cuellar and his wife of accepting approximately $600,000 in bribes from an oil and gas company run by the Government of Azerbaijan and a Mexico-based bank, and he was slated to go on trial in April.

Cuellar pleaded not guilty to the charges and said in a statement after his indictment, “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.”

Trump had long backed Cuellar despite the lawmaker being on the other side of the aisle—and twice voting to impeach Trump—claiming after his 2024 indictment that Cuellar, who votes as a moderate Democrat, was targeted for opposing the Biden administration’s border policy.

His administration had continued its case against Cuellar despite the president’s support of the lawmaker, with The New York Times reporting in July the Justice Department was believed to be moving forward with the case, though prosecutors were likely to drop other charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Cuellar thanked Trump on Wednesday “for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts,” adding the pardon “clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas.”