Trump RAGES: Cuellar Won’t Switch Parties After Pardon
Donald Trump is drawing scrutiny after posting a lengthy message on Truth Social that appeared to link his pardon of Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar to expectations of political loyalty. In the post, Trump described the Justice Department’s bribery case against Cuellar and his wife as an attack by “Radical Left Lunatics” and said he granted the couple a “Full and Complete Pardon” after reading a letter from their daughters.
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But Trump then shifted to attacking Cuellar for continuing to vote with Democrats after receiving the pardon, writing that Texas is a state where he “received the highest number of votes ever recorded,” and accusing Cuellar of a “lack of LOYALTY” for “continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum” who had prosecuted him. The juxtaposition of Trump recounting the pardon and immediately criticizing Cuellar’s political allegiance prompted renewed questions about Trump using presidential powers as leverage for personal or political benefit.
Legal scholars have long warned that the Constitution’s impeachment clause was designed in part to prevent presidents from abusing the pardon power for corrupt ends. Trump’s post is unusually direct in tying a pardon to political expectations, and critics say it echoes his past remarks suggesting pardons could be used to reward allies or punish opponents. Cuellar, who maintained his innocence throughout the DOJ investigation, has not publicly responded to Trump’s comments. The Justice Department case against the congressman and his wife was formally ended following the pardon. Trump’s post has already sparked calls from watchdog groups for Congress to investigate whether the former president’s comments amount to an admission of quid-pro-quo intent.
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