Overview
- Trump announced a full, unconditional pardon on Truth Social, asserting the Biden-era Justice Department targeted Cuellar for criticizing border policy.
- Henry and Imelda Cuellar had pleaded not guilty to charges alleging roughly $600,000 in payments from an Azerbaijani state-linked energy firm and a Mexican bank routed through shell companies.
- The pardon cancels a federal trial that had been scheduled for April 2026 and eliminates the couple’s criminal exposure in the case.
- Cuellar publicly thanked the president, called the decision a clean slate, and filed for reelection, saying he will continue to run as a conservative Democrat.
- A House Ethics Committee probe into Cuellar’s conduct remains active despite the presidential pardon.