Ex-Trump personal attorney adds Dem operative as client, says DOJ treating him unfairly

An ex-personal attorney to President Trump is taking on a Democratic political operative as a client, accusing the Justice Department of not treating him fairly after he took a plea deal.

Kendra Wharton will represent Colin Strother as he prepares for his Nov. 17 sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and agreeing to cooperate against his ex-boss , Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas).

Trump pardoned Cuellar and his wife ahead of a trial on charges of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes.

Strother wasn’t pardoned, so he is still staring down up to five years in prison. Now, he’s getting new help from Wharton, who argues the case should be dismissed.

“That resolution was beyond Colin’s control, and any frustration prosecutors may have with it should not be directed at a witness who cooperated fully from the outset,” Wharton said in a statement.

Wharton worked under Attorney General Todd Blanche on Trump’s personal legal team and later joined him at the Justice Department as an adviser. She left in July 2025 and now runs her own defense firm. The new case, which she called an “injustice,” puts her at odds with her former employer.

“Colin has suffered enough, financially and emotionally. He did what the government asked, and he is still being unfairly punished,” Wharton said in her statement. “His cooperation deserves meaningful consideration. We believe justice calls for dismissal of his case, and we intend to advocate forcefully for that result.”

The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment

The Biden-era Justice Department indicted the Cuellars in 2024 over alleged bribes the congressman accepted from an oil company owned by the Azerbaijan government and a Mexican bank. The case was on track for a trial this year when Trump retook the presidency.

Trump pardoned Cuellar , holding him up as an example of what Trump says was unfair treatment by the Biden administration. Cuellar is running for reelection this November.

Strother is set to be sentenced two weeks later. His guilty plea — alongside one from a San Antonio businessman — marked a boost for prosecutors as they sought to bolster their bribery case against the Texas Democrat.

Strother admitted that in 2016, the businessman began sending him $11,000 monthly “consulting” payments he ultimately concluded were a “sham.” He acknowledged he was under instructions to transfer most of the funds, totaling more than $200,000, to the congressman’s wife.

Wharton said Strother had cooperated fully from day one and noted Cuellar’s pardon had bipartisan support.

“After President Trump said the Biden administration had weaponized the Justice Department against them, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly defended the pardon, calling it the right outcome. The lead prosecutor on the case no longer works at the Department of Justice,” Wharton noted.