President Donald Trump has criticized a prominent opposition lawmaker he pardoned for running for reelection as a Democrat, saying he lacks “loyalty.”
Trump wrote on the social media platform TruthSocial on the 7th about Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar (Texas, 11th term), “Just after I signed the pardon, Congressman Cuellar announced that he will run for reelection as a Democrat in the great state of Texas.”
He continued, “He will continue to work with the same radical left scum that just a few weeks ago wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in prison.” He then said, “This lack of loyalty is not going to be appreciated by Texas voters and his daughters,” and “Next time, there will be no more Mr. Nice Guy.” Although he pardoned an opposition lawmaker in an unusual move that drew criticism even from some of his own associates, this is interpreted as meaning that such a thing will not happen in the future.
President Trump announced on the 3rd that he would pardon Congressman Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, who are facing bribery charges. Congressman Cuellar was indicted in May of last year during the former Joe Biden administration on charges of receiving a total of nearly $600,000 (approximately 880 million won) from an energy company controlled by the Azerbaijani government and a bank headquartered in Mexico. Cuellar, who is classified as a centrist within the Democratic Party, has been a vocal opponent of the Democratic Party, advocating for hardline immigration policies.
President Trump believes that the Biden administration is politically motivated in indicting Cuellar for his courageous opposition to open border policies. President Trump repeatedly criticized the Democratic Party on this day, saying, “Under the crooked Joe Biden administration, the Democratic Party has used extreme coercion and prison sentences to destroy political opponents, including trying to put Congressman Cuellar and his wife Imelda in prison for 15 years.”
He added, “The Democrats were brutal because Henry strongly advocated for border security.” He continued, “What they did to Henry and his family was so unjust that his daughters sent me a beautiful letter about their parents, and after reading that letter, I decided, in the interest of justice and at their loving request, to grant them full and complete pardon.”
Immediately after being pardoned on the 3rd, Cuellar officially announced his re-election bid, saying, “Nothing has changed. I am a traditional conservative Democrat.” After President Trump’s pardon announcement, there was speculation that Cuellar might switch to the Republican Party or even retire, but Politico reported that Cuellar’s re-election bid as a Democrat has complicated the Republicans’ calculations as they were trying to reclaim a Texas congressional seat.