Trump’s pardon of Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar leaves local Republicans surprised and disappointed

Zapata County Republican Chairwoman Jennifer Thatcher was shocked when she learned earlier this month that President Donald Trump had pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar, freeing him from legal peril for the federal corruption charges he faced. By pardoning Cuellar, she said, Trump removed the Laredo Democrats’ main vulnerability, which Republicans had hoped to capitalize on in [...]