December 3, 2025

Good Wednesday evening. In this edition: Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Cuellar; and NASA nominee testifies at second confirmation hearing.

• Plus, Hegseth, Van Epps, fuel efficiency, Jack Smith, Stefanik and NIL bill.

Pardon

President Trump issued a "full and unconditional" pardon for Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, shielding the conservative Democrat who was indicted last year on conspiracy and bribery charges.

• While the president has pardoned lawmakers before, this one is striking because he's a sitting Democrat serving in a battleground district that Republicans would like to flip.

The president claimed that former President Biden had "weaponized the Justice System" to prosecute Rep. Cuellar because he "bravely spoke out against" the administration's border policies.

• "Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman's wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH," the president wrote on Truth Social. "Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar."

Rep. Cuellar thanked the president on social media for "his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts."

• "This decision clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas," he said in a statement. "This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on."
  
  
• He later told reporters that "nothing has changed" and that he will seek a 12th term as a Democrat in Texas's 28th District, which sits on the U.S.–Mexico border.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who is working to defend a narrow House Republican majority ahead of the midterms, told Axios he received no notice from the White House before the pardon was issued.

• "I didn't know anything about it," the speaker told the outlet. "I think he had talked about that since last spring. It shouldn't be a huge surprise to anyone. But no, I didn't discuss it with him."

President Trump dismissed concerns that the pardon could undermine Republicans' efforts to flip the South Texas battleground district.

• "It didn't matter," he told reporters when asked whether the move might hurt Republicans politically. "He's a respected person. He was treated very badly because he said that people should not be able to pour into our country."

Rep. Cuellar and his wife were charged in 2024 with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities in an alleged scheme that prosecutors said occurred between 2014 and 2021, according to the indictment.

• The congressman, whose trial was set to begin in April, has denied any wrongdoing by himself or his wife.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told CNN he supported the pardon, saying the charges were so "thin" that Rep. Cuellar likely would not have been convicted.

• "I don't know why the president decided to do this, [but] I think the outcome was exactly the right outcome," he said.

Watch the remarks from President Trump and Rep. Cuellar.

NASA

Jared Isaacman pledged to take NASA to new heights as he testified at his Senate confirmation hearing to lead the space agency — his second appearance before the panel after President Trump withdrew, and later resubmitted, his nomination.

• "I am not here for personal gain, to favor or enrich contractors, to close centers or disrupt programs that are essential to completing America's objectives in space," Mr. Isaacman told senators.
  
  
• "If confirmed, I'm here to bring urgency and an extreme focus to the mission — to do all I can, working with the best and brightest at NASA, to lead humanity's effort to unlock the secrets of the universe and ensure American leadership across the last great frontier."

Mr. Isaacman, a billionaire and associate of Elon Musk, saw his initial nomination pulled in May shortly after Mr. Musk left the administration amid a falling-out with the president.

• "After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA," President Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. "I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space."

His nomination had already been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in a 19–9 vote and was just days away from a full Senate vote.

• President Trump was reportedly unhappy that the nominee had previously donated to Democratic candidates, including then-Sen. Bob Casey's (D-PA) reelection campaign.

In early November, President Trump renominated Mr. Isaacman, the 42-year-old founder of a payment processor company who led two private missions to orbit on SpaceX rockets.

• "Jared's passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era," the president wrote.

During his second confirmation hearing, Mr. Isaacman vowed to maintain U.S. dominance in space, alluding to China without referring to the country by name.

• "I know it is not lost on anyone in this room that we are in a great competition with a rival that has the will and the means to challenge American exceptionalism across multiple domains, including in the high ground of space," he said. "This is not the time for delay, but a time for action."

NASA has been without a permanent leader since Jan. 20, when former Administrator Bill Nelson stepped down upon President Trump's inauguration, as is customary.

• Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, served as acting administrator until July, when President Trump named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the agency's interim leader.

Watch the confirmation hearing.

In other news…

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked endangering American troops by sharing classified information earlier this year on an unsecured messaging app, the Pentagon's acting inspector general concluded after an eight-month investigation into the "Signalgate" controversy. The incident began when a journalist was accidentally added to a group chat in which sensitive details were exchanged ahead of U.S. strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The acting IG also found that Secretary Hegseth violated military regulations by using his personal phone for official business.
  
  

• Republican Matt Van Epps, a combat veteran, defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn, a Tennessee state representative, in the special election in Tennessee's 7th District to fill the seat of former Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), who resigned from Congress in July. He won by roughly 9 points in the ruby-red district, which President Trump carried by 22 points in 2024. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he intends to swear in Mr. Van Epps on Thursday, boosting Republicans' ranks to 220 seats to Democrats' 213. Two House seats remain vacant: Texas's 18th District and New Jersey's 11th District, both of which lean Democratic.
  
  

• President Trump announced a proposal to significantly reduce federal fuel economy requirements, which determine how far new vehicles must travel on a gallon of gasoline. The Biden-era regulations had already been effectively nullified by the "big, beautiful" bill, which reduced penalties for failing to meet the standards to $0. Under the new proposal, automakers would need to reach an average of 34.5 mpg across their fleets by 2031 — far below the Biden-era target of 50 mpg.
  
  

• The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed former Special Counsel Jack Smith to produce documents and appear for a closed-door deposition on Dec. 17 as the panel investigates his probes into President Trump. "Due to your service as Special Counsel, the Committee believes that you possess information that is vital to its oversight of this matter," Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), committee's chair, wrote in a letter. Mr. Smith had requested to testify in a public setting, but House Republicans rejected the proposal.
  
  

• Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who is running for New York governor, leveled her steepest criticism yet of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), taking aim at his leadership. "He certainly wouldn't have the votes to be speaker if there was a roll-call vote tomorrow," Rep. Stefanik, who serves in House GOP leadership, told the Wall Street Journal. The congresswoman has pilloried the speaker over the exclusion of a provision she wants in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require the FBI to notify Congress if it opens an investigation into a candidate running for federal office.
  
  

• House leadership punted a vote on the SCORE Act, a bill that would establish national Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) standards for college student-athletes, amid opposition from members of the Congressional Black Caucus and hardline Freedom Caucus. The rule governing the bill's consideration was nearly defeated on Tuesday, with Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Scott Perry (R-PA) and Chip Roy (R-TX) joining all Democrats in voting against the procedural measure. GOP leaders may attempt to bring the bill back to the floor later this week.

For your radar…

• Lonnie Ali, the widow of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, and others testify Thursday before a House Education and Workforce subcommittee on creating career opportunities and stronger safety protections for professional boxers. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 10:15am ET.

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