House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday praised President Donald Trump’s decision to preemptively pardon Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas), a conservative Democrat who was indicted on charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent last year.

“I don’t know why the president decided to do this. I think the outcome was exactly the right outcome,” Jeffries said in an appearance on CNN.

Cuellar and his wife were indicted last May for allegedly taking $600,000 in exchange for influencing U.S. foreign policy for an Azerbaijani government-controlled oil company and backing legislative acts to support a Mexican bank.

In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed the indictment was a result of the Biden administration having “weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents,” adding that Cuellar was targeted as he “bravely spoke out against Open Borders.”

Cuellar, whose family has been called a “political machine” in Texas’ Webb County, which went red for Trump in 2024 despite years of being seen as a Democratic stronghold, thanked Trump for his “tremendous leadership.” He also vowed to remain a Democrat and is set to run for reelection next year.

Jeffries’ praise notably departs from his history of slamming Trump’s “toxic” use of his pardoning power. Last month, Jeffries said Trump was “completely and totally out of control” with the power and cited the pardons for Jan. 6 rioters, ex-Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

In his latest CNN appearance, Jeffries described Cuellar as a “beloved” member of the House and claimed that the indictment was “very thin to begin with,” adding that he expected the charges to eventually be dismissed.

Critics on social media shredded Jeffries over his comments: