Speculation on Capitol Hill is building that Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who is currently facing federal corruption charges, might consider switching parties if granted a presidential pardon. The potential shift has set political tongues wagging, fueled by Cuellar’s complicated legal battle and reactions from both sides of the aisle.
Who’s ready for some more tea on Capitol Hill?
I have some interesting news coming your way tomorrow…
It’s alleged someone is going to receive a pardon and flip from blue to red in the House of Representatives.
Now I fully believe that this person has only gotten indicted because of his wide open criticism of the current admin and his opposition to… https://t.co/WjCOGNNbca— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) December 26, 2024
Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, was indicted in May following a two-year investigation by the Department of Justice. The probe, linked to an ongoing corruption case, began after FBI agents raided his South Texas home and campaign office. While initial details were sparse, reports alleged that Cuellar cultivated relationships with Azerbaijani and Mexican business leaders, leveraging his congressional position to advance their interests in U.S. policy.
The indictment, if accurate, presents a damning picture. Between 2014 and 2021, Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, allegedly accepted $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an Azerbaijani state-owned oil and gas company and a Mexico City-based bank. Federal prosecutors claim these payments were funneled through bogus consulting contracts to shell companies under Imelda Cuellar’s name, with little to no actual work performed.
In exchange, Cuellar allegedly influenced U.S. foreign policy to benefit Azerbaijan and supported legislative activities favorable to the Mexican bank. The charges against the Cuellars are sweeping, with potential penalties stacking up as follows:
Two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and acting as an unregistered foreign agent (up to 5 years each).
Two counts of bribery of a federal official (up to 15 years each).
Two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud (up to 20 years each).
Two counts of violating laws against unregistered foreign agents (up to two years each).
One count of conspiracy to commit money laundering (up to 20 years).
Five counts of money laundering (up to 20 years each).
Both Henry and Imelda Cuellar have pleaded not guilty, with the congressman insisting his actions were focused on serving South Texans. Despite the charges, Cuellar secured an 11th term in November, showcasing his political resilience among his constituents.
President-elect Donald Trump has eagerly weighed in on the case. Writing on Truth Social shortly after the indictment, Trump accused the Biden administration of targeting Cuellar and his wife for his conservative stance on border policy.
“Biden just indicted Henry Cuellar because the respected Democrat Congressman wouldn’t play Crooked Joe’s open border game. He was for Border Control, so they said, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to take him out!’” Trump wrote, calling the administration “D.C. Thugs” and labeling President Biden a “threat to democracy.”
The drama surrounding Cuellar’s case, coupled with rumors of a potential party switch, has heightened tensions in Washington. Inside the Beltway, all eyes are on the congressman to see whether he will stay the course or make a stunning shift in a historically narrowly divided Congress.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News
A Trump-endorsed Republican running for New York governor is making a bold promise: he’ll pardon an NYPD sergeant sent to prison over a split-second decision that turned deadly.
Bruce Blakeman made the pledge outside City Hall, throwing his support behind former Sgt. Erik Duran—now facing three to nine years behind bars for the 2023 death of a fleeing suspect.
“I took this job to save lives,” Duran told a judge at sentencing. “I felt terrible once I saw Eric Duprey crash.”
Duprey, 30, had just sold drugs to an undercover officer and sped off on a motorized scooter when Duran—working in plainclothes—grabbed a nearby cooler and hurled it.
The cooler struck Duprey. He lost control. Moments later, he was dead.
Prosecutors wanted even more time—pushing for a five- to 15-year sentence—but Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell said the case should send a message.
“They had enough to investigate and catch him on a different day,” Mitchell said. “The distinction is that the deceased will no longer be seen again by his family.”
The ruling stunned police advocates, who say the conviction punishes a cop for making a high-pressure call in the line of duty.
“It wasn’t only Sgt. Duran… Every law enforcement officer who makes a split-second decision… was also on trial,” said Vincent Vallelong, head of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association, calling it “one of the darkest days” for the force.
Duran—believed to be the first NYPD officer in decades imprisoned over a duty-related death—has already been fired and is expected to appeal.
Blakeman, currently Nassau County executive and a former Port Authority official during 9/11, is now turning the case into a campaign flashpoint as he takes on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
With Trump’s backing and a law-and-order message, the race is quickly becoming a referendum on policing, prosecution—and where New York draws the line.
Florida Governor and presidential contender Ron DeSantis is refusing to stand in the shadow of Donald Trump.
DeSantis plans to participate in the first Republican presidential nomination debate “regardless” of whether former President Donald Trump takes the stage at the August showdown.
“I’ll be there regardless. I hope everybody who’s eligible comes. I think it’s an important part of the process and I look forward to being able to be on the stage and introducing our candidacy and our vision and our leadership to a wide audience,” DeSantis said Thursday on “Fox News Tonight.”
Trump, who’s the commanding front-runner in the latest GOP presidential primary polls, has indicated that he may skip the debate. However, Trump campaign officials say the former president has yet to make a final decision on his participation. Trump’s aides have also been looking into options for an alternative event should the former president skip the debate, according to Fox News.
The debate is scheduled for August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and will be hosted by Fox News.
The Republican National Committee (RNC), which is organizing all the GOP presidential nominating debates, is requiring a high donor threshold as well as polling thresholds for candidates to make the stage.
The RNC is also mandating that candidates that meet the thresholds sign a loyalty pledge to back the eventual 2024 GOP nominee, in order to participate in the debate.
The state of Florida is adding a similar loyalty requirement for candidates to be included on the state’s ballot, according to POLITICO.
The new oath, which includes a promise to “endorse” the GOP nominee and requires a candidate to pledge not to run as an independent or third-party candidate, mirrors language adopted by the Republican National Committee for its first debate.
“We were trying to be consistent with what the debate was requiring,” said Evan Power, vice chair of the Republican Party of Florida, who said that campaigns were notified about the changes. “I don’t think this will come as a surprise.”
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Joe Biden labeled Republicans on the ballot in this year’s midterm elections as a “threat to democracy” while at a campaign event in Maryland Thursday evening.
Touching on former President Trump and his “Make America Great Again” slogan Biden accused Republicans of wanting to send the country “backward.”
“Now you need to vote to literally save democracy again,” Biden told a large crowd at the Democratic National Committee rally in Rockville, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C. “Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans have made their choice — to go backwards full of anger, violence, hate, and division. But we’ve chosen a different path forward, the future, unity, hope and optimism.”
“We choose to build a better America,” Biden said.
Throughout Biden’s speech, he also touched on accomplishments from his administration before circling back to Republicans. The President later attempted to separate what he labeled “MAGA Republicans” from “conservative Republicans” citing Maryland’s current Gov. Larry Hogan (R), as an example of the later.
“The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security. They’re a threat to our very democracy,” Biden said as he wrapped up his remarks. “They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace, embrace political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.”
“This is why in this moment, those of you that love this country — Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans — we must be stronger, more determined, and more committed to saving America than the MAGA Republicans are destroying America,” he said.
This is hardly the first time President Biden has attacked supporters of the former president and attempted to label them as dangers to society. In May, Biden called MAGA the “most extreme political organization in history” following the leak of a Supreme Court draft that signaled the end of Roe v. Wade.
“What are the next things that are going to be attacked? Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history. In recent American history,” Biden told the crowd.
On Friday, Biden’s White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre doubled down and defended the President’s comments calling Trump supporters fascists.
Jean-Pierre: "What MAGA Republicans have done [is] the definition of facism… That is what that is." pic.twitter.com/4WMXk9Ga36
President Donald Trump on Monday threw his support behind Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), even as the two-term congressman remains largely absent from Washington and the campaign trail amid an ongoing health-related disappearance that has fueled speculation across New Jersey’s most competitive House district.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Republican primary in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, Trump issued a glowing endorsement of Kean, who is running unopposed for renomination despite not casting a vote in Congress since March 5.
On Truth Social, Trump praised Kean as a “Great Representative” and a key ally in advancing the administration’s agenda.
“A Tremendous Advocate of our America First Agenda, Tom is working tirelessly to Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Champion Small Business, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Support our Brave Military and Veterans, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump wrote.
In offering his backing, Trump added: “GET OUT AND VOTE FOR TOM — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
The endorsement comes as Kean remains largely out of public view. The congressman has not appeared for votes in the House for nearly three months and has maintained only a limited public presence while recovering from what he has described as a serious but temporary medical condition.
In late April, Kean acknowledged for the first time that he was dealing with a “personal medical issue,” though he declined to provide details about the illness.
“My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon,” Kean said in a statement at the time. “I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.”
Questions about Kean’s absence have intensified in recent weeks as one of the nation’s most closely watched House races begins to take shape. While the congressman has remained out of the spotlight, his official congressional and campaign social media accounts have continued posting regularly, creating an unusual situation in which voters have heard from the congressman online but rarely seen him in person.
Kean told the New Jersey Globe on May 21 that he expected to return to Washington and resume campaigning “in the next couple of weeks.”
He also sought to reassure constituents about his long-term outlook.
“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told the outlet. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”
Additional reassurance came from Kean’s father, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., who told CNN in mid-May that his son is recovering from a serious but temporary illness.
Despite his continued absence, Kean’s campaign has remained active. Following Trump’s endorsement Monday, Kean thanked the president in a post on X and encouraged New Jersey Republicans to participate in the primary.
The timing is significant because New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District is expected to be one of the most competitive House battlegrounds in the country this year.
While Kean faces no Republican opposition, four Democrats — Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah, and Brian Varela — are competing for the chance to challenge him in November.
National Democrats view the district as one of their best pickup opportunities as they seek to regain control of the House. Republicans, meanwhile, are counting on Kean to defend a seat that could prove critical to preserving the GOP’s narrow majority.
Kean first won the district in 2022, defeating Democrat Tom Malinowski by just 2.8 percentage points. He secured reelection in 2024 by a somewhat wider 5.4-point margin against Democrat Sue Altman.
The Cook Political Report currently rates the race a “Toss Up,” placing it among just 18 House contests nationwide with that designation. Fourteen of those highly competitive seats are currently held by Republicans, underscoring the stakes for both parties heading into November.
For now, Trump’s endorsement provides Kean with a high-profile show of support at a moment when many voters are still waiting for the congressman to fully reemerge from the months-long absence that has become one of the most closely watched political stories in New Jersey.
The chair of the English Department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly flipping the College Republicans’ table on campus Tuesday morning.
UW-Eau Claire Interim Provost Michael Carney confirmed the incident with Fox News.
SPREAD THE WORD!!!
We are DEMANDING the termination of Jose Felipe Alvergue from UWEC after he ATTACKED the UWEC Republicans’ peaceful assembly this morning. The ‘tolerant’ left needs to be stopped. Sick of this bullshit happening. pic.twitter.com/XAvjr53tqV
Violent outburst today in Eau Claire WI by Jose Felipe Alvergue, an unhinged liberal whose wife is up for reelection. He needs to be FIRED. pic.twitter.com/QSCV3zgETr
“I am deeply concerned that our students’ peaceful effort to share information on campus on election day was disrupted,” Carney said in a statement. “UW-Eau Claire strongly supports every person’s right to free speech and free expression, and the university remains committed to ensuring that campus is a place where a wide variety of opinions and beliefs can be shared and celebrated.”
He added that “civil dialogue is a critical part of the university experience, and peaceful engagement is fundamental to learning itself.”
“We are working with the Universities of Wisconsin and the Office of General Counsel, which is conducting a comprehensive investigation of this matter. The faculty member involved has been placed on administrative leave pending that investigation,” Carney said.
The UW-Eau Claire College Republicans identified the faculty member on Instagram as English Department Chair José Felipe Alvergue.
Tatiana Bobrowicz, UW-Eau Claire College Republicans chair, said in a video posted to the chapter’s Instagram page that she had just finished setting up a table on Election Day.
Jose Felipe Alvergue has now been confirmed by the university to be the attacker from this morning. pic.twitter.com/X1F2OtEoni
“A professor came up and flipped our table in a violent attack towards us. This is unacceptable,” Bobrowicz said in a statement posted to the UW-Eau Claire College Republicans Instagram account on Tuesday. “The university has since confirmed that this attacker was the chair of the university’s English Department. Once again, this type of violent attack will not be tolerated.”
UW director of media relations Mark Pitsch told Fox News in a statement that university staff “appreciate that UW-Eau Claire has taken swift action, and we will be working with them to conduct the investigation.”
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A prominent Utah lawmaker appears to be gearing up for a Senate bid, potentially teeing up a competitive primary challenge against incumbent Senator Mitt Romney (R).
Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson announced Thursday that he is launching an exploratory committee to consider running for Senate, according to reports from Fox News.
“I’ve really loved the opportunity that we’ve had to keep government small and out of people’s lives, it’s part of why Utah is so special,” Wilson said of his time in public office.
I’m a husband, dad, successful business owner and I’m exploring a run for the U.S. Senate in 2024 because I know Utahns deserve a bold, proven, and conservative fighter to represent us and our values in our nation’s capital. Learn more and donate: https://t.co/hf0HoVa2r9pic.twitter.com/IBumyA1dyU
He continued, “I really believe that what Washington needs is to be a lot more like Utah. We’ve got this amazing opportunity to send Utah values back to D.C., and to have a conservative fighter back there, doing things back there the way we do them here in the Beehive State.”
“I’ve been in elected office for a while. And one thing that I know is these offices don’t belong to any of us individually, they belong to the people that elect us,” Wilson said.
Wilson added, “And so my decision is going to be based on what I hear from people, what I believe is in the best interest of the state of Utah, and what is, quite frankly, in the best interest of my family.”
Romney has yet to announce if he will run for another term in the Senate but earlier this week filed preliminary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.
Romney was the GOP nominee in the 2012 presidential election and was defeated by former President Barack Obama. The Republican lawmaker has become a controversial figure within the party over the past years, frequently butting heads with then-President Donald Trump. Romney twice voted to impeach Trump.
Speaker Brad Wilson is one of the best leaders and human beings I have ever met. I would hate to lose him from the legislature, but I know he would represent Utah well no matter what happens. The next few months will be very interesting in Utah politics. https://t.co/bHdzPNVzkA
A U.S. Secret Service employee has been placed on immediate administrative leave after reportedly celebrating the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in a social media post, Fox News Digital confirmed Friday.
“The U.S. Secret Service will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct. This employee was immediately put on administrative leave, and an investigation has begun,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Fox News when asked about the employment status of Anthony Pough.
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
According to Real Clear Politics, Pough had posted on Facebook celebrating Kirk’s death, accusing the conservative leader of spreading “racism.”
“If you are Mourning [sic] this guy .. delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show,” Pough wrote, according to the outlet. He also referenced the recent Evergreen High School shooting in Colorado that left two students injured, writing, “Especially when we should be mourning the innocent children killed in Colorado.”
Pough further claimed that Kirk’s death was “karma,” writing, “At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesnt [sic] leave.”
Kirk was attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon when a single shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead just hours later.
Real Clear Politics reported that Pough was in “Phase 2” of his career with the Secret Service, a stage where agents are focused on protective assignments. He had not yet been assigned to any regular detail protecting former President Donald Trump. According to the agency’s website, Phase 3 typically involves post-protective field, protection, or headquarters assignments.
Kirk was shot Wednesday afternoon while attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. He was struck once in the neck and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children, ages 1 and 3. The couple married in 2021. (RELATED: MSNBC Fires Analyst Matthew Dowd For ‘Unacceptable’ Charlie Kirk Comments)
Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika Kirk, as well as their two children, ages 1 and 3. The Kirks married in 2021.
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket back to Arizona, where he resided with his family, on Thursday via Air Force Two.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson warned congressional lawmakers to avoid in-person town halls and predicted that protests are only going to get worse.
The remarks came after President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to accuse “paid troublemakers” and Democrats of manufacturing the scenes of discontent at GOP events across the country. In a post on Truth Social,
Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!
According to Wall Street Journal Congress reporter Olivia Beavers, Hudson called for the full attention of all present at the closed GOP House meeting on Tuesday before warning that protests would be getting worse and that no one should be doing in-person town halls for the time being.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) reportedly stood up and shared that protestors had been picketing outside of her house and were harassing her children.
Hudson went on to claim that Democratic activists were “hijacking” the town hall events and “drowning out” local constituents, another source told Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman. He added that Democrats would be attending the events just to get a “viral clip” of Republican lawmakers being challenged.
Hudson reportedly recommended that Republicans do virtual town halls or tele-town halls instead, rationalizing that this was a more efficient way of reaching constituents.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is pushing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Obama administration officials linked to the debunked report alleging the 2016 Trump campaign engaged in Russian collusion.
More details are coming out concerning alleged efforts by former President Barack Obama and his team’s efforts to drum up intelligence to create a narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Sunday. (RELATED:Report: Obama Admin. ‘Manufactured’ Intelligence To Establish Russian Collusion Narrative)
Gabbard appeared on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, where she alleged a massive cover-up by intelligence officials in the Obama administration.
“There was direct intent to cover up the truth about what occurred and who was responsible, and the broad network of how this seditious conspiracy was concocted and who exactly was responsible for carrying it out,” Gabbard claimed.
“So at the end of the day, we need to look at Pam Bondi?” host Maria Bartiromo asked. “Is that the person who, at the end of the day, is gonna bring us accountability. Pam Bondi?”
Gabbard confirmed took the rare step of publicly calling on fellow administration officials to take action.
“Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel,” the director responded. “It is their responsibility to gather all of the evidence, both that we have released, the facts that have already been known previously, the information that will continue to come out, and move forward with this prosecution and these indictments.”
Gabbard told Bartiromo that her team released 100 documents on Friday.
They “provide evidence of how this treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office after President Trump had already gotten elected,” she noted. Gabbard also said they were referring all the records to the Department of Justice and FBI for a criminal referral.
“So the effect of what President Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against President Trump, who was duly elected by the American people,” Gabbard declared.
Pressed on whether she expects future indictments and prosecutions, Gabbard replied, “I’m not a lawyer. In my view, we have the evidence to be able to move forward and bring about justice, yes, to prosecute and indict those responsible.”
In a thread posted to X on Friday, Gabbard shared clips of documents and contended that Obama directed his top intelligence officials to “create” a new intelligence assessment in December 2016 that contradicted prior analyses, after which they “leaned on their allies in the media to advance their falsehoods” and push the narrative that Russia “intervened to hack the election in Trump’s favor.”
🧵 Americans will finally learn the truth about how in 2016, intelligence was politicized and weaponized by the most powerful people in the Obama Administration to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President @realDonaldTrump, subverting the… pic.twitter.com/UQKKZ5c4Op
