The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Dec. 5, 2025

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar faced years in prison, accused of taking $600,000 in bribes from two foreign companies.  President Donald Trump just pardoned the Democrat December 3rd, after which Cuellar filed for reelection.

Cuellar, a powerful and popular 11-term Texas Democrat, had his home raided in 2022.  In May 2024, the Biden Department of Justice announced a dozen charges against Cuellar and his wife Imelda, including bribery, wire fraud, acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and money laundering.  He allegedly took $600,000 in payments from an oil and gas company owned by the government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City, hiding the payments as sham consulting contracts for work purportedly done by his wife.   If convicted, the couple faced decades in prison.  

Earlier this year, the Trump DOJ dropped charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, accused of similar charges, after a Florida meeting Adams had with the President. Shortly after, Adams pledged city cooperation on immigration enforcement.  Seven career DOJ prosecutors resigned after the appearance of a quid pro quo. 

Given the Trump quest for more GOP U.S. House seats, it’s notable that Cuellar still filed for reelection Wednesday as a Democrat.  The congressman has supported stronger border enforcement, which Trump noted in his social media announcement.  
We’ve linked the Biden DOJ’s 2024 indictment at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org  I’m Brian Beihl

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Texas Tribune – (2022) FBI raid portends political and legal challenges for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar
American Democracy Minute – (2024) Shades of Corruption: Menendez & Cuellar Prosecuted for Accepting Cash & Cars; Trump Reportedly Promises Climate Rollbacks for $1B in Campaign Contributions from Big Oil with Repercussions Unlikely
Biden U.S. Department of Justice – (2024)  U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar Charged with Bribery and Acting as a Foreign Agent
Texas Tribune – Donald Trump to pardon Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar
Politico – Henry Cuellar will seek reelection as a Democrat after Trump pardon
President Donald Trump on Truth Social  –  Announcement of Pardon for Congressman Henry Cuellar
Pew Research – Majorities of Latinos Disapprove of Trump and His Policies on Immigration, Economy 

Groups Taking Action:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #HenryCuellar #Corruption #TrumpPardon #Bribery  #RepCuellar

The post Another Politician Accused of Public Corruption, Congressman Henry Cuellar, is Pardoned by President Donald Trump appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Nov. 18, 2025

We recently reported that President Donald Trump pardoned many of the fake electors in the scheme to overturn the 2020 Presidential election.  But state cases in Georgia and Nevada have just been rekindled.

Trump’s pardons, a preemptive action since none were charged with a federal crime, do not apply to state charges.  

In Nevada, where Trump pardoned all six of that state’s GOP fake electors, the state fraud and forgery case had been stalled due to a court opinion that the case had been filed in the wrong venue.  Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford filed the case in Clark County, not in Carson City, where the document was signed. November 13th, the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the case could move forward in Clark County.  

In Georgia, where President Trump, Trump election attorneys, the fake elector and others were indicted by a grand jury, the prosecution stalled after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was dismissed for a conflict of interest.   

Judge Scott McAfee asked Peter J. Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, to find a prosecutor, and after a search, Skandalakis appointed himself as lead prosecutor.  Nov. 14th, McAffee also dismissed three more charges against Trump, but charges remain for his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and Rudy Giuliani.

We’ve linked to more on the cases at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Georgia Recorder – (2022) UPDATED Trump’s fake electors: Here’s the full list
American Democracy Minute – (2024) 2020 Fake Elector Scheme Investigations Grind On in Michigan, Nevada and Georgia, and Arizona  
American Democracy Minute – President Donald Trump Pardons Many of His Accomplices Accused of Trying to Overturn the 2020 Election
Politico – Nevada Supreme Court revives criminal case over Trump elector gambit
Georgia Recorder – New prosecutor tapped to take over Georgia election interference case against Trump
The Guardian – Georgia prosecutor to take over last remaining criminal case against Trump
CBS News Atlanta – Judge officially drops 3 charges in Georgia’s Trump 2020 election interference case 

Groups Taking Action:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Protect Democracy

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #Georgia #Nevada #FakeElectors #TrumpCriminalTrials #2020Election

The post Though the President Pardoned Loyalists for 2020 Election Subversion, State Cases Against Fake Electors Revived in Georgia and Nevada appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Nov. 11, 2025

November 7th, President Donald Trump pardoned 77 of his alleged accomplices in the attempt to overturn the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election.  They include his chief of staff Mark Meadows, John Eastman and other lawyers who cooked up the fake electors scheme, and Rudy Giuliani, whose misinformation help fuel an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The pardon affects only future federal charges, since a GOP-majority U.S. House and Trump Department of Justice have not indicted the bad actors identified by the January 6th Commission.   Some state charges remain.

Among those pardoned include the lawyers who masterminded and facilitated the fake electors scheme, including John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, and Boris Epshtyne. 

Trump personal and campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani was also pardoned from any future federal charges.  Giuliani repeatedly claimed, with no credible evidence, that widespread fraudulent mail ballots and manipulation of Dominion Voting Systems optical ballot readers were responsible for Joe Biden’s election. He still faces civil suits for defamation.  

Some, but not all of the 84 fake electors from New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, and Nevada were pardoned.  It’s not clear what criteria, other than presidential loyalty, was used, or whether there will be more pardons to come. We have the complete pardon list at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Natinal Archives – 2020 Presidential Election Unofficial Certificates Submitted to The Office of the Federal Register
Georgia Recorder – Trump’s fake electors: Here’s the full list
American Democracy Minute – Developments in GOP Fake Presidential Elector Plots in Nevada & Wisconsin; Investigations Continue in Arizona, New Mexico & Georgia
Trump Administration Pardon Attorney Ed Martin – List of Pardons Posted on X
The Hill – Trump pardons Giuliani, other figures in effort to overturn 2020 election, aide says
Law Forward – The 2020 Fake Electors Scheme: How What Started in Wisconsin Spread Nationally
NBC News – Trump pardons Rudy Giuliani and others involved in bid to overturn 2020 election

Groups Taking Action:

Protect Democracy,  Common Cause WI, States United Democracy Center

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #PresidentialPardons #FakeElectors #2020Election #RudyGiuliani #MarkMeadows #DonaldTrump 

The post President Donald Trump Pardons Many of His Accomplices Accused of Trying to Overturn the 2020 Election appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for June 4, 2025

President Donald Trump recently announced pardons to a range of individuals, including convicted drug dealers, fraudsters, and . . .  corrupt public officials.  ABC New reports 1 in 5 have political or financial ties to the president.

Scott Jenkins, a former Culpeper County, Virginia sheriff had been sentenced to 10 years for taking $75,000 in bribes in exchange for issuing deputy sheriff badges.  Jenkins has been a long-time Trump supporter.

Ardent Trump acolyte  Michele Fiore had not yet been sentenced when she received her pardon on April 23rd.  A former member of the Nevada Assembly and Las Vegas City Council, she was convicted of six counts of wire fraud for skimming money from a memorial for a slain Las Vegas police officer.  She used the money for rent, plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.  

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, was pardoned in February, after endorsing Trump’s 2020 and 2024 campaigns.  Blagojevich appeared on Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice in 2010, but was convicted in 2011 of attempting to sell President Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat, among other corruption charges. 

Former Kentucky state senator and 2016 Congressional candidate Brian Kelsey served only 2 weeks of a 21 month sentence on federal campaign finance violations and defrauding the Federal Election Commission before he was pardoned in March.  

We have a full list of Trump’s pardons at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney – Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-Present)
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington – Trump has granted clemency to 16 corrupt politicians—so far
ABC News – Trump’s flurry of pardons include some to campaign contributors
CBS News – Trump says he’s pardoning Scott Jenkins, a sheriff convicted of taking $75,000 in bribes
Nevada Independent – OPINION: Trump’s audacious Fiore pardon gets buried by what came next
American Democracy Minute – What Corruption? Trump Pardons Former KY State Senator for Campaign Finance Fraud, and May Be Preparing to Dismantle DOJ Public Integrity Section
PBS NewsHour – A look at Trump’s controversial pardons for political allies and loyalists

Groups Taking Action:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Public Citizen

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #PoliticalCorruption #TrumpPardons #Bribery #Fraud

The post Looking for a Presidential Pardon?  Loyalty and Endorsements are Apparently More Important Than Political Corruption appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 17, 2025

On the heels of dropped charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams under suspicious circumstances, President Donald Trump has pardoned a former Kentucky state senator serving time for federal campaign finance fraud. Trump is also reportedly preparing to restructure and downsize DOJ’s public integrity units.

Former Kentucky state senator and 2016 Congressional candidate Brian Kelsey was sentenced to 21 months in 2023 for coordinating $80,000 in advertising with a national political organization, benefitting his campaign.  Additionally, he concealed the movement $91,000 from his state campaign fund and a nonprofit legal advocacy group, defrauding the Federal Election Commission.  Kelsey lost his appeals in the 6th Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused the case.   Trump pardoned Kelsey, who pleaded guilty in 2022, after a mere two weeks in prison.  

The New York Times is reporting that the president is also preparing to restructure and downsize the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Integrity section, which QUOTE “oversees the investigation and prosecution of all federal crimes affecting government integrity, including bribery of public officials, election crimes, and other related offenses.”  The Times reports that executive orders are expected in the coming weeks.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he is the victim of a “weaponized” Justice Department, after he was charged with mishandling classified documents and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.  

We posted our resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Some podcasting platforms strip out our links.  To read our resources and see the whole script of today’s report, please go to our website at https://AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. Department of Justice – Former Tennessee State Senator and Co-Conspirator Sentenced for Campaign Finance Scheme
Tennessee Bar Association – U.S. Supreme Court Denies Kelsey’s Appeal of Campaign Fraud Conviction
New York Times – (Paywall) – Trump Pardons Ex-Tennessee State Senator Imprisoned for Campaign Fraud
New York Times – (Paywall) – Justice Dept. Moving to Downsize Units Investigating Fraud and Corruption
CNN – Donald Trump’s criminal cases, in one place
Roll Call – Speech: Donald Trump Addresses the Staff at the Department of Justice – March 14, 2025
U.S. Department of Justice – Public Integrity Section

Groups Taking Action:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington,  Public Citizen

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #PoliticalCorruption #USDOJ #DonaldTrump #PublicIntegrity

The post What Corruption? Trump Pardons Former KY State Senator for Campaign Finance Fraud, and May Be Preparing to Dismantle DOJ Public Integrity Section appeared first on American Democracy Minute.