Henry Cuellar launched House re-election bid as Democrat days after Trump pardoned him over bribery charges

Days after issuing him a pardon, Donald Trump criticized US House member Henry Cuellar of Texas for deciding to run for re-election as a Democrat.

Trump pardoned Cuellar and the congressman’s wife on Wednesday as they faced bribery charges. They were alleged to have accepted thousands of dollars from Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for advancing their interests.

Shortly after the pardon, Cuellar filed for re-election as a Democrat and said he had no intention of changing his party.