US President Donald Trump has granted pardons to Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, who are facing federal charges of bribery and conspiracy. The decision comes amid claims by Trump that the pair were targeted because of their criticism of President Joe Biden's immigration policies.
Trump took to social media to announce the pardon, stating that Cuellar "bravely spoke out against Open Borders" and accusing Biden of going after him and his wife "simply for speaking the TRUTH". The Republican president claimed that the congressman had been unfairly targeted because of his views on immigration, despite a lack of evidence.
Cuellar, who has served in Congress for over 20 years, is accused of accepting thousands of dollars from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico in exchange for advancing their interests. He maintains his innocence and was set to face trial next April.
The pardon has raised questions about Trump's motives, with some critics accusing him of using the pardon as a way to further his own agenda. Cuellar still faces an ongoing Ethics Committee investigation in the House, despite receiving a presidential pardon.
This is not the first time Trump has pardoned someone with ties to Azerbaijan; former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was pardoned in February. The president has also suggested that other Democrats, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, faced federal corruption charges because of their criticism of Biden's immigration policies. However, in Adams' case, the Justice Department had already moved to drop the charges before Trump took office.
The pardon has sparked renewed controversy over Trump's handling of justice, with some calling it a further example of his claims that he is being targeted by the justice system due to partisan politics.
Trump took to social media to announce the pardon, stating that Cuellar "bravely spoke out against Open Borders" and accusing Biden of going after him and his wife "simply for speaking the TRUTH". The Republican president claimed that the congressman had been unfairly targeted because of his views on immigration, despite a lack of evidence.
Cuellar, who has served in Congress for over 20 years, is accused of accepting thousands of dollars from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico in exchange for advancing their interests. He maintains his innocence and was set to face trial next April.
The pardon has raised questions about Trump's motives, with some critics accusing him of using the pardon as a way to further his own agenda. Cuellar still faces an ongoing Ethics Committee investigation in the House, despite receiving a presidential pardon.
This is not the first time Trump has pardoned someone with ties to Azerbaijan; former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was pardoned in February. The president has also suggested that other Democrats, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, faced federal corruption charges because of their criticism of Biden's immigration policies. However, in Adams' case, the Justice Department had already moved to drop the charges before Trump took office.
The pardon has sparked renewed controversy over Trump's handling of justice, with some calling it a further example of his claims that he is being targeted by the justice system due to partisan politics.
. He was already in trouble, and now everyone's gonna say Trump is just being nice to his buddies 
. The whole thing with Azerbaijan makes me go 'wait a minute...' - how many times has Trump pardoned people with ties to that country? It feels like he's more interested in clearing his own name than actually making justice happen 
. And what about Cuellar's ongoing Ethics Committee investigation? Does the pardon just mean we're gonna forget about that too? I wish people would stop jumping to conclusions and let's focus on what's really going on here 
... like, what even is the logic here? Cuellar was doing his job and speaking out against policies he disagreed with, not breaking any laws that I know of... it just feels like a power move to me 
. And now we're supposed to believe that Biden is targeting him because of partisan politics? 
. What do you guys think though?
how convenient for trump to spin it like that considering he was already getting roasted on the whole 'targeting my wife' thing 
newsflash, we need actual evidence here not just some social media rant 
i'm still waiting for credible sources on this one before i even consider believing trump's version of events 
. Like, what even is the logic behind granting pardons to people who are literally facing corruption charges? It's like he's just trying to manipulate the system to further his own agenda 
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It's all about playing politics with the justice system. Trump thinks he can just use pardons to silence his critics and get back at Biden? Newsflash, Donald: it's not going to work!