In an unexpected move, President Donald Trump announced that he will pardon U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) and his wife, Imelda, on Wednesday. The couple faced federal bribery charges related to alleged dealings with Azerbaijan.

Trump said he made the decision because Cuellar had spoken out against the Biden administration’s border policies. The pardon eliminates what had been a major vulnerability for the Laredo-area Democrat as he prepares for a challenging re-election campaign next year.

“It’s truly surprising,” Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), told KSAT. “It’s a really weird situation in which you would think President Trump would be supportive of a Republican.”

The pardon absolves Cuellar of potential prosecution relate

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