For the second time in a few weeks, President Trump has undercut the same House Republicans he may have to rely on to save him from possible impeachment in 2027.

Why it matters: Trump didn't just pardon Rep. Henry Cuellar today — he praised him, calling the Texas Democrat "highly respected" and "beloved."

• And he didn't just have a cordial meeting with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Nov. 21 — he heaped levels of flattery on the democratic socialist that will complicate the House GOP's goal of casting Mamdani as a national villain.

Zoom in: Trump blindsided House GOP leaders with his "full and unconditional PARDON" for Cuellar, which he announced on Truth Social this morning.

• Speaker Mike Johnson "didn't know anything about it," he told us this afternoon. "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."
• Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told us he found out about Trump's pardon on X. The pardon "certainly makes it tougher" for the GOP to flip Cuellar's South Texas seat, Hudson said.
• Trump told reporters today it "didn't matter" if his pardon helped Cuellar in 2026.

Between the lines: Trump accused the Biden administration of "weaponizing the Justice System" and prosecuting Cuellar because he "bravely spoke out against … the Biden Border 'Catastrophe.'"

• Ten days ago, the NRCC blasted Cuellar's legal troubles. "House Democrats including 'Leader' Hakeem Jeffries are still bankrolling criminally-charged Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar," the NRCC posted on X.
• NRCC communications director Will Kiley, in a statement to us, called the White House "an indispensable partner." He added, "We're laser-focused on holding the House and delivering the governing majority the President needs to execute his full agenda."

The bottom line: Cuellar thanked Trump for the pardon on X but told reporters he will run for reelection as a Democrat and is not considering switching parties.

• Earlier this year, Democrats were privately concerned that Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, might reconstitute himself as a Republican if a presidential pardon were in the offing.
• Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told us he thinks the pardon solidifies Cuellar's reelection, though he added Cuellar would have probably survived anyway.
• Last May, federal prosecutors charged Cuellar and his wife with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes in exchange for influencing U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank.

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— Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

The public criticisms are starting to pile up against Speaker Johnson:

• Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a member of Johnson's own leadership team, publicly attacked him this week, telling The Wall Street Journal that Johnson is "a political novice" and predicting that "the majority of Republicans would vote for new leadership."
• A group of House conservatives derailed Johnson's legislative agenda for the week, withholding support for name, likeness and image legislation. GOP leadership aims to bring the bill up tomorrow, but conservatives are dug in.
• Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) moved yesterday to file her discharge petition on banning members of Congress from trading individual stock, and it's already picking up a wide swath of GOP support.

Between the lines: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who is already forgoing a reelection bid to run for governor, plans to speak with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) next week, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

• The meeting, first reported by the New York Times, comes after Greene announced her plans to resign from Congress on Jan. 5.
• Mace wants to "pick her brain" about "the bullsh*t that is the House," the sources said, including members being "taken for granted," the need to use discharge petitions to get bills passed and Johnson not codifying any of Trump's executive orders.
• A source familiar with the situation told us that Mace doesn't dislike Johnson but wants change.

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— Kate Santaliz and Andrew Solender

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth likely broke some Pentagon regulations when he shared sensitive information on his cellphone earlier this year, according to Democratic senators who reviewed an internal report.

• But he didn't appear to break the law.

Driving the news: A redacted version of the inspector general's report is scheduled for release tomorrow, as we scooped yesterday.

• Navy Adm. Frank M. "Mitch" Bradley is also scheduled to brief senior lawmakers on the Venezuelan boat strikes.

What we're watching: After processing the report, some senators were scathing of Hegseth's role in "Signalgate" controversy and used the incident to call for his resignation.

• "They very clearly stated he should not be using his cellphone and putting … this kind of information on an unclassified system," Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) told The Wall Street Journal.
• "Pete Hegseth is the least qualified Secretary of Defense in American history," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said on X. "He is a national embarrassment who is putting the safety of our servicemembers at risk."
• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said on X today that he was "shocked" by the report: "I believe there is a need for further investigation and likely action."

The other side: The administration is standing behind Hegseth, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying today: "This review affirms what the administration has said from the beginning — no classified information was leaked, and operational security was not compromised."

• "President Trump stands by Secretary Hegseth," Leavitt said.

— Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam