Politics
NEW: Trump Drops Support For Pardoned Democrat After ‘Betrayal’
President Donald Trump threw his support Tuesday behind a Republican challenger to Rep. Henry Cuellar, the Texas Democrat he pardoned last month, blasting the longtime lawmaker for what he called outright “disloyalty.”
Trump endorsed Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, accusing Cuellar of turning his back on the president after choosing to seek re-election as a Democrat following his pardon.
Trump said he never expected Cuellar to run for office again. Cuellar, who was indicted in 2024 on federal bribery, wire fraud and money laundering charges, has insisted there was no deal tied to Trump’s decision to pardon him.
Cuellar acknowledged the pardon Tuesday but sidestepped Trump’s endorsement of his opponent and the criticism that came with it.
“As mentioned previously, my family and I thank President Trump for his pardon,” Cuellar said.
“I look forward to a resounding victory in November,” he added.
Tijerina did not immediately respond to media inquiries but celebrated Trump’s backing in a post on X.
“Together, we are going to take South Texas back and put America First,” Tijerina wrote, saying he was “honored” by the endorsement.
Tijerina, a former minor league baseball player, was first elected Webb County judge in 2014 as a Democrat. He publicly switched parties in 2024 during an appearance on Fox News.
Trump’s endorsement landed just hours after he warned that Democrats would move to impeach him if Republicans lose control of Congress in the November midterms.
In a series of posts Tuesday night, Trump unloaded on Cuellar, questioning why the congressman would return to the Democratic Party after receiving a pardon.
“I don’t know why, but the fact that Henry Cuellar would be running against Donald J. Trump, and the Republican Party, seems to be a great act of disloyalty and, perhaps more importantly, the act of a fool who would immediately go back to a Political Party, the Radical Left Democrats,” Trump wrote.
Cuellar, who has often broken with his party on border policy and co-chaired Democrats for Border Security, filed for re-election as a Democrat just one week after receiving the pardon, a move that immediately angered Trump.
Trump said Tuesday that he would still pardon Cuellar again but made clear he wants him out of Congress.
“Henry should not be allowed to serve in Congress again,” Trump wrote. “Tano’s views are stronger, better, and far less tainted than Henry’s, and he has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Texas’ 28th Congressional District.”
Honored to have the support of @realDonaldTrump!
Together, we are going to take South Texas back and put America First.
Donate to my campaign here: https://t.co/Y6PpwkSSwH https://t.co/996kcKV28i
— Judge Tano Tijerina (@JudgeTano) January 6, 2026
In a follow-up post, Trump shared photos of letters written by Cuellar’s daughters urging him to pardon their parents. Trump last month also pardoned Cuellar’s wife, Imelda, who had faced charges alongside her husband.
Trump again argued that the prosecution of Cuellar was politically driven, an allegation Cuellar himself has echoed, claiming the case was “absolutely” tied to his criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies.
Federal prosecutors alleged in 2024 that Cuellar and his wife accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani oil and gas company and a Mexican bank in exchange for official acts. The couple pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
Cuellar, first elected to Congress in 2004, won re-election in 2024 with 52.8% of the vote. Primaries in Texas’ 28th Congressional District are set for early March, with multiple candidates running on both sides of the aisle.
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