Hakeem Jeffries Praises Trump's Pardon of 'Beloved' Democrat: 'Exactly the Right Outcome'

[AZJonnie]

16. Huh. This is actually something that Trump *may* have somewhat right, at least AFA the timeline goes

Cuellar was already a long‑time border hawk, but he did turn up the volume noticeably in the first year of Biden’s term, i.e., in the window leading up to the 2022 raid.

His “mini‑crusade” before Biden
He was pressing hard on border security at least as far back as the 2014 child‑migrant surge, warning of a “crisis” and criticizing inaction under Obama.​

During Trump’s presidency he opposed the wall and some rhetoric, but still framed the border as a serious security issue and pushed for more resources and structured enforcement, so he was already somewhat off‑message from many national Democrats.​

After Biden’s inauguration (2021–early 2022)
In that first Biden year—i.e., before the January 2022 FBI raid—Cuellar became one of the most quoted Democratic critics on the border:

Spring 2021: He publicly contradicted Biden’s claim that the border was “under control,” telling national outlets that it was not and warning about overcrowded facilities and “mixed messages” drawing migrants north.​

2021: He did repeated TV hits and interviews (CNN, NBC, local Texas media) urging tougher consequences, faster removals, and more visible enforcement, and warning Democrats that mishandling the border was a “recipe for disaster” politically.​

Compared to earlier periods, that 2021 stretch featured:
* More national‑TV exposure.
* More direct, public contradiction of a Democratic president’s talking points.
* More framing of the situation as a “crisis” his own party was mishandling.

So relative to his already long record, yes—Cuellar was particularly loud and nationally visible on border policy between Biden’s inauguration (Jan 2021) and the visible start of the federal investigation (the January 2022 raid), even though his underlying views on enforcement were consistent with what he’d been saying since at least 2014

I mean, I also read the case was pretty strong against him, but even as a staunch defender of Biden, I have to admit, the timing was a little suss

And you know what? In this sense, Cuellar was right: "and warning Democrats that mishandling the border was a “recipe for disaster” politically.​". Now we have Trump again. And I can pretty well guarantee you Biden's allowing so very many people into the country during his term was a tangible part of why Trump won again.

This all being said, Cuellar should have had to go to court, and been obliged to prove that he was not guilty of the charges. I cannot agree with Jeffries take here, even if I allow that it's not totally unreasonable to wonder whether or not he came into the DoJ's crosshairs due to his amped-up border rhetoric immediately before his house was raided. It doesn't change the question of whether or not the guy was guilty. That's only how things work in TRUMP'S mind. So Jeffries gave him exactly what he wanted. And that was a bullshit move.