(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned a Democratic south Texas congressman who he says was targeted by a “weaponized” Biden administration Department of Justice.
“For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them,” Trump said on Wednesday. “One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe.’”
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, serves a historically Democratic-leaning district in south Texas where border communities flipped Republican for the first time in history, voting for Trump in 2024, The Center Square reported. Hispanics have increasingly voted Republican in Texas, prompting the state legislature to pass a redistricting bill this year. Local officials are also flipping Republican, including the Webb County judge, in the county where Cuellar lives, The Center Square reported.
Cuellar repeatedly spoke out against several Biden administration policies. He called on Biden to reverse his plan to end the public health authority, Title 42, and stop releasing illegal border crossers into local communities who tested positive for COVID. He voted to condemn former Vice President Kamala Harris as “border czar;” called for Biden to rescind his decision to halt oil and gas leases and support the Texas oil and gas industry. He also called on Biden to enforce a treaty with Mexico to bring water to South Texas, among other policies.
The only response he received was an investigation by the Biden DOJ.
In response, Cuellar sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, which gave him more than one written opinion, and tried to meet with federal prosecutors to no avail. Last May, Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, were indicted on foreign bribery, unlawful influence and money laundering charges, The Center Square reported.
Cuellar’s daughters petitioned Trump, saying they believed “their father’s independence and honesty may have contributed to how this case began. He was never afraid to speak his mind, especially when it comes to protecting the people of South Texas and securing the border from the policies of the previous administration.”
They also said they believed their parents had been treated unfairly as they said Trump had been throughout the Biden administration, including the “Russia collusion” hoax.
They said their parents are “honest individuals, raised by hardworking parents who taught them that integrity matters above all” and “good, decent people who have spent their lives giving more than they’ve taken. They have loved this country deeply, served their neighbors without hesitation.” They asked for Trump to dismiss the case or grant a full and unconditional pardon.
Trump chose the latter.
“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH,” Trump said. “It is unAmerican and, as I previously stated, the Radical Left Democrats are a complete and total threat to Democracy! They will attack, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anyone who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Country. Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!”
In response, Cuellar thanked Trump “for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts. I thank God for standing with my family and I during this difficult time. This decision clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas. This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on.”
Cuellar is among many who’ve requested Trump intervention in response to Biden era-“DOJ weaponization.”
The “Russia hoax” wasn’t just used against Trump but also to target other Republicans, including Florida native and Texas-based Republican political consultant Michael Shirley, his attorney and supporters argue.
Shirley is currently incarcerated at a minimum-security prison camp in Miami and is calling on Trump for a full pardon, The Center Square reported.
“What happened to me is not just wrong, it was evil,” Shirley told The Center Square in an exclusive interview via email. “My liberty was stripped because I wouldn’t play my part in the Biden DOJ’s grand scheme to prevent a second Trump presidency and a Republican takeover of Congress. The Left always screams of tyranny if Trump was elected, but I witnessed true tyranny first-hand under Biden. The ultimatum given to me: prison or parrot their lies. They needed my help smearing their opponents, no matter how far-fetched the source material was.
“I stood my ground against their lies when Democrats controlled everything. No one came to save me. Now, I sit here as a forgotten political prisoner – because I refused to lie.”
