Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Cuellar in bribery and conspiracy case

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President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday, citing what he called a weaponised justice system.

Trump, who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch hunt, said on social media without presenting evidence that Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were prosecuted because the congressman had been critical of President Joe Biden's immigration policies.

Trump, a Republican, said in a social media post that Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders and accused Biden, a Democrat, of going after the congressman and his wife simply for speaking the TRUTH.

Federal authorities had charged Cuellar, 69, and his wife with accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico.

Cuellar is accused of agreeing to influence legislation favourable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the US House.

Cuellar has said he and his wife are innocent.

Henry, I don't know you, but you can sleep well tonight, Trump wrote in his social media post announcing the pardon. Your nightmare is finally over!  The couple's trial had been set to begin next April.

Cuellar has served in Congress for more than 20 years, and his district stretches from San Antonio to the US-Mexico border in South Texas.

Cuellar is not the only Democrat Trump has pardoned this year. In February, he pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, five years after he had commuted his sentence in a political corruption case.

Like in Cuellar's case, Trump suggested that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, faced federal corruption charges because he made comments critical of Biden's immigration policies.

Trump did not pardon Adams, but after Trump took office, the Justice Department moved to drop the case against the mayor, who had begun working with the Republican administration on immigration issues.

A top Justice Department official, who was also Trump's defence lawyer in several of his cases, stepped in to seek dismissal in the case.