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yesterday

Trump Endorses Tano Tijerina, Turns on Pardoned Democrat Henry Cuellar

Trump cites a plea from Cuellar’s daughters, portraying the case as political retaliation.

Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina rides a horse in the Washington's Birthday Parade on Saturday Feb. 22, 2025 in Laredo, Texas.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 06: House Appropriations Committee member Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) questions Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. Tasked with the Trump Administration's effort to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the United States, Noem testified before the Homeland Security Subcommittee about her department's FY 2026 budget request. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • President Trump used a Tuesday Truth Social post to back Republican Tano Tijerina and to say he is fighting Henry Cuellar for his South Texas seat.
  • Trump called Cuellar “a weak and incompetent version of me” and argued the lawmaker was charged because he broke with the Biden administration on immigration.
  • He said he granted full, unconditional pardons last month to Henry and Imelda Cuellar after receiving a “heart‑wrenching” letter from their daughters.
  • The 2024 indictment alleged roughly $600,000 in bribes tied to an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank, with payments routed through shell entities, according to the DOJ.
  • Some Texas Republicans were reported as extremely disappointed by the pardon, and Cuellar has signaled interest in helping GOP inquiries into the prosecutors who brought the case.