I’m sorry, but this is hilarious.
Rep. Henry Cuellar
President Donald Trump lashed out at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar on Sunday, accusing the Laredo lawmaker of disloyalty for filing to run for reelection as a Democrat shortly after Trump pardoned him and his wife of serious corruption charges.
In a lengthy social media post, Trump pointed out it was the Biden administration’s Department of Justice that pursued the case against the Cuellars. He slammed Cuellar for “continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison – And probably still do!”
“Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Sunday morning. “Oh’ well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”
A federal grand jury in Houston indicted Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, in April 2024 on charges of bribery, money laundering, working on behalf of a foreign government and conspiracy. They were accused of accepting $600,000 in bribes between 2014 and 2021 from a Mexican bank and an oil and gas company in Azerbaijan. The case was scheduled for trial in April of next year, with each of them facing up to 204 years in prison if convicted. Both have denied wrongdoing.
Trump pardoned the couple on Wednesday in response to a letter from their daughters. In his post, Trump said he didn’t speak to Cuellar before the pardon but added that “God was very happy with me that day.”
Cuellar thanked Trump in a social media post and said he planned to thank Trump in person at the White House Christmas party.
The president did not take the step of endorsing Cuellar’s GOP opponent, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, on Sunday, who declared his candidacy the day before Trump pardoned Cuellar.
Cuellar was pardoned last week, a couple of days before SCOTUS rubber-stamped the new Congressional map, which among other things was supposed to make it easier to flip his seat. I have no idea what Trump was thinking – trying to guess at that is a pathway to madness – but I love how he hoisted Tano Tijerina and a pallet of other Republicans on the petard with him. Meanwhile the Dems are like “yeah, cool, thanks”, even as many of us can’t stand Henry Cuellar. It’s all far too stupid to be a B-plot on The West Wing, and that’s just the Trump experience. The Current has more.
It’s really a shame that we’ve allowed this idiot to normalize the POTUS calling the people he’s supposed to serve, “scum”, “garbage”, and “vermin”, among other formerly un-presidential behaviors.
Does Cuellar have a primary challenger? Because this gets even funnier for me if he loses at that stage.
Damn Donnie, shoulda got that quid pro quo in writing!