US President Donald Trump rebuked a Democratic lawmaker on Sunday for planning a reelection bid under the same party, suggesting he should have crossed the aisle after the Republican leader pardoned him.
Texas congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda had faced accusations of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from an oil and gas company partly owned by the government of Azerbaijan.
The couple has denied the bribery charges, for which they were due to face trial in April before receiving a presidential pardon earlier this week.
Shortly after signing the pardon, Trump had learned that Cuellar would continue 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”, the president said in a social media post.
The billionaire, furious for not having gained a majority member in a state that will be highly contested in the November 2026 midterm elections, accused Cuellar of “lack of LOYALTY”.
“Something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like. Oh well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!” Trump said.
Despite drawing the president’s ire, Cuellar defended his decision, telling Fox News that he is a “conservative Democrat” and “bipartisan.”
“If the president succeeds, the country succeeds,” he said.
“I don’t vote for a party. I vote for what is right for the country.”
Cuellar has served in Congress for over 20 years. He disagrees with his party on many social issues such as immigration, guns or abortion.
The US Supreme Court last week allowed Texas to use redrawn congressional districts for the 2026 midterm elections, boosting the Republicans’ hopes of retaining control of the House of Representatives.
The push by Texas, which carves out five more Republican-friendly districts and came at the behest of Trump, has also launched a series of similar efforts in states around the country.
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