US EditionTrump on Cuellar running as Democrat after pardon: ‘Such a lack of loyalty’
Trump called Cuellar's decision to remain a Democrat after a pardon a betrayal, accusing him of siding with critics who sought his imprisonment despite the pardon.
- On December 7, 2025, President Donald Trump criticized Rep. Henry Cuellar for `a lack of loyalty` after Cuellar filed to run for re-election as a Democrat shortly after receiving a presidential pardon.
- After being indicted, Cuellar and his wife Imelda Cuellar were pardoned when Trump said he granted clemency after receiving a `beautiful letter` from Cuellar's daughters, Christina and Catherine, pleading for a pardon.
- In his South Texas district including parts of metro San Antonio, Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, won re-election in 2024 despite indictment, and the Cuellars pleaded not guilty and thanked Trump after the pardon.
- Trump suggested the pardon was meant to help the GOP protect its slim House majority, but Cuellar staying Democrat could affect competitiveness amid GOP-run Texas Legislature redistricting this year.
- The pardon fits into a wider pattern in which Trump has granted rapid clemency to allies, while two Foreign Agent Registration Act-related counts were dismissed and Rep. Henry Cuellar faces a House Ethics Committee probe, raising stakes for the 2026 midterm elections.
91 Articles
91 Articles
Pardoned Congressman Responds to Trump Turning on Him
Democrat Henry Cuellar has shared his message to Trump after the president targeted a lengthy rant at him on Truth Social Sunday morning. Trump pardoned Cuellar and his wife Imelda this week after they were indicted on a dozen charges including bribery, conspiracy, and money laundering, and the president seemingly expected the congressman to turn his cloak and run for the GOP in thanks. Speaking on Sunday Morning Futures, Cuellar responded to th…
Donald Trump is angry that Representative Henry Cuellar is running again as a Democrat instead of changing parties, after the president pardoned the Texas congressman and his wife in a federal case of bribery and conspiracy. “What a lack of loyalty,” Trump complained, suggesting that he pardoned him in the hope that Cuellar would change his party and thus increase the Republican presence in the House of Representatives in the face of the mid-ter…
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