​But by pardoning Cuellar, Trump essentially lifted one of the biggest attacks he’d faced from political rivals, including Republicans who are trying to beat the Laredo Democrat next year. Just this week, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina kicked off his campaign against Cuellar and specifically cited his legal troubles.

​Despite the new redistricting map, Cuellar has said he thinks he can still win the reconfigured 28th Congressional District, given that he has regularly outperformed state and national Democrats in past elections. On Capitol Hill Wednesday, he exuded the same confidence, telling the Houston Chronicle’s James Osborne and other reporters staked outside his office: “This is a conservative district and I’m going to win.”