Rep. Henry Cuellar talks with reporters in the Capitol after a meeting of House Democrats on June 27, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
"The timing of this was very suspect, 40 days before an election, if you recall, I was having that primary race where they spent $20 million against me and more things that we’re going to talk about that makes it very, very suspect. And remember, I had a legal opinion by a law firm, I had two ethics opinions on this, and they went ahead and moved forward on this."
Cuellar said that amid the investigation, the Trump team called him up and asked, "What’s going on?"
On the question of whether he would be switching parties after the pardon, Cuellar said, "Nothing has changed. I’m a conservative blue dog, I will work with the president like I have done with him on the things that we can agree on, we can agree on a lot of things."
"But as a very conservative Democrat, I’m good here," he went on, adding, "But I’m very bipartisan. I certainly want to work with the administration. In fact, some of his folks have reached out to me about working on some things together, and we’re going to work together."
"We’re going to continue to focus on work, and we’re ready to move forward on work, but again I certainly want to thank the president for this pardon," he told Fox News Digital.
Trump announced a "full and unconditional pardon" for Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, on Wednesday.
In January 2024, Cuellar warned fellow Democrats, including President Biden, to prepare for border security to be a top election issue that year. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
In January 2024, Cuellar warned fellow Democrats, including President Biden, to prepare for border security to be a top election issue in the 2024 cycle.
Speaking of Biden, he said, "It’s in the president’s best interest politically to come up with a solution on border security."
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In a statement following the pardon, Cuellar said, "I want to thank President Trump for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts."
"I thank God for standing with my family and I during this difficult time. This decision clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas," he added. "This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on. Thank you Mr. President, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dem-pardoned-trump-reveals-whether-he-switch-political-parties