‘No more Mr Nice Guy!’ Trump slams loyalty of pardoned Democrat Henry Cuellar
Donald Trump criticised as disloyal an indicted congressman from Texas he pardoned last week after the politician filed for re-election as a Democrat.
Donald Trump criticised as disloyal an indicted congressman from Texas he pardoned last week after the politician filed for re-election as a Democrat.
“Oh well, next time, no more Mr Nice Guy!”, the President wrote on Sunday morning on social media, signalling frustration with representative Henry Cuellar, who was charged last year along with his wife with allegedly taking nearly $600,000 in foreign bribes.
Trump didn’t explicitly seek a promise from Cuellar that he would switch parties in exchange for the pardon, but the President expected he would, according to a source.
Trump has been upset for days about Cuellar’s decision to remain a Democrat, the person said, leading to his Sunday social-media post.
Trump pardoned Cuellar on Wednesday, justifying his decision by accusing former president Joe Biden of weaponising the Justice Department against a member of his own party.
Trump said Cuellar, a Democrat who represents a competitive district near the US-Mexico border, had been punished for speaking out against Biden’s border policies.
Trump issued the pardon after receiving a letter from the Cuellars’ daughters. “God was very happy with me that day! THEN IT HAPPENED!!!” Trump wrote, referring to Cuellar’s decision to file for re-election as a Democrat on the same day the President pardoned him.
Trump criticised Cuellar for “continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison”.
“Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like,” he added.
Cuellar didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump and Republicans face a challenging mid-term election cycle next year that could jeopardise the party’s control of congress, particularly the house. Trump has been pushing his party to carve out more house seats through redistricting.
A moderate Democrat from Laredo, Texas, Cuellar has often crossed party lines to vote with Republicans. He has remained popular in his district with voters of both parties, despite the charges.
The district, which Cuellar has represented since 2005, is one Republicans had targeted for pick up under newly drawn district maps. The primary is in March.
Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were charged in May 2024 with conspiracy, bribery, money-laundering and other charges.
The pair was accused of accepting funds from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexican bank, in exchange for boosting their interests on Capitol Hill.
Cuellar has said he and his wife were innocent and he had consulted with congressional ethics officials before taking any actions.
He narrowly won re-election last November.
The Wall Street Journal
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