Rep. Henry Cuellar apparently didn’t follow the playbook.

Last week, President Donald Trump, a Republican, sent ripples across Capitol Hill when he unexpectedly pardoned the conservative Texas Democrat and his wife, who were indicted in 2024 on corruption charges. Some observers speculated that a party switch – which could boost Republicans’ chances of holding on to their slim House majority – might be in the offing. Instead, Representative Cuellar promptly turned around and filed to run again in his southern border district ... as a Democrat.

On Sunday, President Trump decried Mr. Cuellar’s “lack of LOYALTY” on social media, ending his lengthy post with a flourish of frustration: “Next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”

Why We Wrote This

Historians say presidential pardons have been used

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