Trump slams Henry Cuellar over not switching parties after pardon

Donald Trump has criticized Democrat Henry Cuellar's “lack of loyalty” for not defecting to the Republican Party after the US president pardoned him.

In issuing the pardon on Wednesday, Trump said the Texas representative, who was indicted last year on bribery and money laundering charges, had become a political target by the Biden administration after he “courageously spoke out against open borders.”

Hours after the pardon, Cuellar filed for re-election as a Democrat, dashing Republican hopes that he could switch parties and strengthen their narrow House majority.

“What a lack of LOYALTY,” Trump wrote about Cuellar on social media. “Well, next time, no Mr. Nice Guy!”

The Justice Department under the Biden administration accused Cuellar and his wife of accepting $600,000 (£450,600) from Azerbaijan's state oil company and an unnamed Mexican bank in exchange for promoting their interests in Congress.

The couple, who maintained their innocence, were indicted in 2024 on 14 counts including conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud, money laundering and violating the prohibition on acting as agents of a foreign entity.

In a Sunday social media post, Trump accused the “radical left” Democrats of “relentlessly” targeting Cuellar, who is a moderate Democrat, in an “evil quest” to “destroy” him and his family, “all because Henry wanted so badly, and rightly so, BORDER SECURITY!”

Trump said in a lengthy post that he never spoke to the congressman or his family, but “felt very good fighting” for his family because they were “treated SO BAD!”

Trump added that despite the pardon, Cuellar has decided to run again as a Democrat, “continuing to work with the same radical leftist scum who just weeks ago wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in prison – and probably still do!”

And that “lack of loyalty,” as Trump wrote, won't sit well with Texas voters or Cuellar's daughters, who wrote the president a letter urging him to pardon their father.

However, Cuellar reiterated his intention to remain in the Democratic Party, telling Fox News on Sunday: “I'm an American, I'm a Texan and I'm a Democrat – in that order.”

When asked to respond to Trump's social media post, Cuellar said, “I'm a conservative Democrat, but I will work with the president.”

Cuellar added that he thought about Trump while attending church on Sunday morning.

“I prayed for the president,” he said. “I prayed for his family and I prayed for the presidency because if the president succeeds, the country will succeed.”

Trump's attacks on Cuellar are the latest example of how the president expects loyalty from those he helps.

Last month, a group of federal unions filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over what they called a “loyalty issue” included in thousands of federal job applications. The question asks applicants to name Trump policy initiatives that matter to them and describe how they personally would advance Trump's agenda.

Trump has long said that loyalty is most important to him.

“I value loyalty above all else—more than intelligence, more than drive, more than energy,” he said. once said.