<[link removed]>



What Trump’s pardons expose about his politics



President Donald Trump is once again reminding Washington that, for him,
pardons are less an act of mercy than an instrument of loyalty—and he’s furious
that one of his latest beneficiaries didn’t get the message.

On Sunday, Trump lashed out at Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar for deciding to run
for reelection as a Democrat, a move that seemed to blindside the president
even though Cuellar had never hinted at switching parties.

“Such a lack of LOYALTY,” Trump fumed on Truth Social, clearly stunned that
his surprise pardon of Cuellar—who was indicted on federal corruption
charges—didn’t instantly convert the conservative South Texas Democrat into a
Republican.




 



No sugar-coating it: Daily Kos needs your help. Can you chip in $5 today?
<[link removed]
On Record&addr1=&city=Cedar Knolls&state=District of Columbia&phone=>

Donate $5
<[link removed]
On Record&addr1=&city=Cedar Knolls&state=District of Columbia&phone=>

 



The shock is hard to square with reality. Cuellar had already stated publicly
that he hadn’t cut a deal with Trump or the White House to secure the pardon.
Why Trump thought the congressman would suddenly switch parties remains a
mystery.

Cuellar, one of the few Democrats who openly blasted President Joe Biden for
not taking a harder line on immigration, had been something of a political
curiosity. Trump’s pardon briefly scrambled those dynamics. But by Sunday, the
president had clearly soured on what he now saw as a wasted political
investment.

Trump himself admitted as much. Asked last week whether sparing Cuellar might
make the district harder for Republicans to win in 2026, he shrugged: it
“didn’t matter.”

“He was treated very badly because he said that people should not be allowed
to pour into our country,” Trump insisted. “He got indicted for speaking the
truth.”

None of that was accurate. And the National Republican Congressional Committee
couldn’t have been thrilled to watch Trump casually torpedo a seat they’ve eyed
for years—a district he carried by seven points in 2024.

Republicans had reason to hope. The GOP-run Legislature, at Trump’s urging,
launched a mid-decade redistricting scramble meant to shore up vulnerable
Republican seats heading into 2026. Cuellar’s 28th District now has a larger
Republican base, yet Cuellar believed—and still believes—he can win it again.

The record supports him. The GOP has taken repeated runs at Cuellar over the
last decade, only to watch him survive—even in 2024, when he won reelection
under indictment.

The charges were serious. In March 2024, the Justice Department charged the
congressman and his wife, Imelda, accusing them of accepting payments from an
Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank. A judge later dismissed two of the
charges, and the trial was set for 2026. Then Trump abruptly ended the case
with a pardon.

Imelda Cuellar was pardoned, too. Both had been accused of taking $600,000 in
bribes.

Trump appeared to believe that this extraordinary intervention would prompt a
party conversion—a point he spelled out in a lengthy weekend rant.

“Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar
announced that he will be ‘running’ for Congress again … as a Democrat,
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,” Trump
complained.

“Next time,” he added, “no more Mr. Nice guy!”




 



No billionaire backers, no paywalls. Daily Kos news exists because of YOU, our
donor community. Now, we need your help. Please donate today.
<[link removed]
On Record&addr1=&city=Cedar Knolls&state=District of Columbia&phone=>

Click here to donate $5 today
<[link removed]
On Record&addr1=&city=Cedar Knolls&state=District of Columbia&phone=>

 



In short, Trump all but acknowledged that he viewed the pardon as a political
transaction. And when the transaction failed, he reacted as if he’d been
swindled.

Cuellar, for his part, tried to stay above the fray. When pressed about his
party loyalty on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” he said he’s a
tried-and-true Democrat.

“I’m probably one of the most, if not the most, bipartisan Democrats,” he
said. “And as I told some of my Republican friends on the House floor, I vote
better than some of the Republicans in the Republican caucus.”

Still, he didn’t go out of his way to antagonize Trump. Cuellar noted that he
prayed for Trump and his family, adding: “I’m an American, I’m a Texan, and I’m
a Democrat, in that order. And I think anybody that puts party before their
country is doing a disservice to their country.”

Trump insisted he was correcting an injustice. He said he acted after
receiving a letter from the Cuellars’ daughters.

“I never spoke to the Congressman, his wife, or his daughters, but felt very
good about fighting for a family,” he wrote. “God was very happy with me that
day!”

What the episode ultimately reveals is something much more enduring than a
single feud. It shows—with unusual clarity—how Trump understands the pardon
power: as a political currency, a chip to be traded for loyalty or strategic
gain. It also shows the limits of that power. A pardon cannot force gratitude
or obedience. And once issued, it cannot be revoked when the beneficiary
declines to play along.

Trump expected a Republican seat in exchange for his presidential largesse.
Instead, he got a Democrat who thanked him politely and then went right back to
being who he has always been.

And Trump, as ever, took it personally.

Click here to check out this story on DailyKos.com.
<[link removed]>





 



We're not asking for much



The average donation to Daily Kos has been just $9.44. These donations may
seem small, but they're a big deal to us. In fact, they are our largest source
of income. We literally couldn't do the work we do without them. Can you join
thousands of other Daily Kos readers and help us with a donation of $9.44 right
now?

Donate $9.44
<[link removed]
On Record&addr1=&city=Cedar Knolls&state=District of Columbia&phone=>



 



You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Daily Kos.
To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe
<[link removed]>
ormanage
<[link removed]
On Record&city=Cedar Knolls&state=District of Columbia&country=United
States&metadataCustom=testunsub> which newsletters you receive.