Trump Pardons Democrat Henry Cuellar in Azerbaijan Bribery Case

IHR
17 hours ago
2 min read

President Trump issued a full pardon for Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, halting their federal bribery and money laundering case. The charges involved accepting $600k from an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for official acts. This controversial pardon fuels debate on foreign influence in US politics.President Trump issued a full pardon for Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, halting their federal bribery and money laundering case. The charges involved accepting $600k from an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for official acts. This controversial pardon fuels debate on foreign influence in US politics. — President Donald Trump

On December 3, Donald Trump declared on his Truth Social platform that he had pardoned Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas and his spouse, Imelda Cuellar. This action happened after the couple was charged in May 2024 with bribery and money laundering.

Cuellar, 68, has been in the House since 2005 and co-led the Congressional Azerbaijan Working Group. He and his 67-year-old wife were accused of taking about $600,000 in bribes from a Mexican bank and an oil-and-gas firm owned by Azerbaijan's government.

The Alleged Plan

The indictment says that Azerbaijani officials wanted Cuellar's help in Congress to push Baku as a key U.S. ally, especially given its land conflict with Armenia and issues with Azerbaijani citizens' migration status. It's claimed that Cuellar was supposed to use his influence to shape laws and give speeches in Congress supporting Azerbaijan.

The indictment explained how the alleged bribe payments worked: the Azerbaijani oil firm sent monthly payments of $25,000 through a fake consulting deal. This money was reportedly paid to a Texas firm owned by Imelda Cuellar and their kids for unknown consulting work.

Responses and Political Situation

Even with the pardon, Cuellar, who says he's innocent and denied all charges, responded on 'X'. He thanked Trump for looking at the facts and for his great leadership, and said, "This pardon gives us a fresh start. The distraction is over. The work is still there, and I'm ready to get to it." He also said he won't retire or change parties after the announcement.

In his pardon post, Trump claimed that Joe Biden's administration had misused the justice system to target his political enemies, like critics from the Democratic Party.

The case also involves Irada Akhundova, 67, an Azerbaijani citizen, who was charged separately with working as an unregistered foreign agent for Azerbaijan without registering with the Justice Department. Reports say Akhundova accepted the charges and is helping U.S. authorities.

Azerbaijan's government hasn't made any official comment on the bribery claims.