President Donald Trump said Friday he had commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges.
The New York Republican was sentenced in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people — including his own family members — to make donations to his campaign.
“I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted on his social media platform.
Other news we’re following:
- Trump met with Zelenskyy at WH: Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks at the White House Friday, and afterward Trump took to social media to call for Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war. The U.S. president signaled he’s not ready to agree to sell Kyiv a long-range missile system that the Ukrainians say they desperately need. Trump and Zelenskyy met one-on-one a day after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict.
- John Bolton pleads not guilty to charges accusing him of sharing classified information: It’s the third criminal case brought in recent weeks by the Justice Department against a Trump adversary, and is unfolding against the backdrop of growing concerns that the Republican president is using the law enforcement agency to seek retribution against his perceived enemies.
- Government shutdown: Three weeks in, Congress is at a standstill, but Trump has shown little urgency to broker a compromise to end the government shutdown. Democrats insist no breakthrough is possible without his direct involvement, and frustration is starting to surface within the GOP as lawmakers acknowledge little happens in Congress without Trump’s direction.
