The Latest: Trump says he has commuted the sentence of former US Rep. George Santos in fraud case

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President Donald Trump said Friday that he 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.

The latest:

Two days after dozens of journalists left their desks behind rather than agree to government-imposed rules on how they report about the U.S. military, it’s apparent that they are still on the job.

Reporters have relied on sources to break and add nuance to stories about U.S. attacks in the Caribbean on boats suspected of being involved in the drug trade, as well as military leadership in the region.

This comes as many are still navigating how their jobs will change — Where will they work? Who will talk with them? — brought on by the dispute. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded reporters relinquish their Pentagon workspaces if they didn’t acknowledge rules, which the journalists say would punish them for reporting on anything beyond what he wants them to say.

The Pentagon has characterized the changes as “common sense” and accused journalists of mischaracterizing them.

▶ Read more about how the reporters are continuing to work

Big crowds are expected in thousands of places around the country Saturday in protests against what some are characterizing as increasingly authoritarian practices by the president.

It’s the second “No Kings” protest and the third mass movement against the administration this year, and it comes amid an intensifying conflict between federal law enforcement and protesters nationwide.

Some conservative critics have condemned the protests as “Hate America” rallies, while supporters say they represent a “patriotic” fight for First Amendment rights.

▶ Read more about what to expect on Saturday

The president talks plainly, bluntly, often even coarsely. But it’s rare he drops an actual f-bomb as cameras are rolling.

He did so Friday, when a journalist asked him about reports that Venezuela’s president offered concessions to try to reduce bilateral tensions.

“He has offered everything,” Trump responded. “He offered everything. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f--- around with the United States.”

It didn’t take long for the White House to promote Trump’s curse word, which helped underscore his administration’s hard-line stance toward Venezuela and the Maduro regime.

The administration’s rapid response account on the social platform X quickly pushed out a video of the f-bomb, accompanied by three fire emoji. It’s now the pinned post on the “RapidResponse47” account.

The official White House account, meanwhile, posted it with the acronym “FAFO,” meaning “f--- around and find out.”

▶ Read more about the president’s language, past and present

The sanctions on Dimitri Herard and Kempes Sanon are for their roles in criminal gang activities that have destabilized the impoverished Caribbean nation.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the two supported a coalition of gangs that the Trump administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization this year.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution hours later ordering all 193 U.N. member nations to freeze the men’s assets and impose a travel ban. The resolution also imposes an arms embargo on Haiti.

Herard was head of presidential security when President Jovenal Moise was assassinated in 2021. He was imprisoned in connection with the assassination. After escaping in 2024, he “colluded” with Haiti’s most powerful gang coalition, Viv Ansanm, Treasury said in a statement.

Sanon heads the Bel Air gang, one of many groups in Viv Ansanm. Treasury and the U.N. also accused him of extortion, kidnapping, illicit taxation and human rights violations.

The White House joinedthe social media platform of choice for many in the left-leaning online world Friday.

In its inaugural post, it offered a sizzle reel of administration memes, trolls and messages from President Trump’s nine months since returning to office. The post appeared aimed at tweaking liberals who are not his fans.

It included mentions of the administration’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico; a doctored image of Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a sombrero and faux mustache standing beside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer; and photos and video from other moments in Trump’s second term.

“What’s up, Bluesky?” the White House said in a message accompanying the video. ”We thought you might’ve missed some of our greatest hits, so we put this together for you. Can’t wait to spend more quality time together!”

Nov. 8, 2022: Santos defeats Democrat Robert Zimmerman in the first known congressional election featuring two openly gay candidates. The district includes a tiny part of New York City and a swath of suburbs on Long Island.

Dec. 19, 2022: The New York Times publishes a story questioning whether Santos fictionalized his resume.

Dec. 26, 2022: Santos admits fabricating some details of his biography, including that he had a degree from Baruch College and had worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Despite calling himself “a proud American Jew” in a position paper, he insists he “never claimed to be Jewish” but rather “Jew-ish.”

Dec. 28, 2022: Nassau County prosecutors say they have launched an investigation into Santos.

January 2023: Santos is sworn into office. Questions surface about how he financed his campaign after filings offer contradictory accounts.

Jan. 31, 2023: Santos steps down from his congressional committees but says he won’t resign.

▶ Click here to continue reading a timeline of Santos’ extraordinary rise and fall

He is extending what was supposed to be a short-term rebate until 2030. It’s part of a proclamation signed Friday that also made official a 25% import tax on medium and heavy duty trucks, starting Nov. 1.

The action reflects administration efforts to use tariffs to promote American manufacturing while also trying to shield the auto sector from higher costs that Trump’s import taxes have created for parts and raw materials.

The rebate initially announced in April had been set to be lowered and then expire in 2027. At the time Trump described it as short-term aid “during this little transition” with the expectation that automakers would move production lines back to the U.S.

The extension and adjustments came after conversations with the industry, senior administration officials said. The goal is to expand domestic production and make it more competitive. The officials insisted on anonymity as a condition for talking to reporters ahead of the signing.

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’” the president said of the former congressman from New York, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

He added, “but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison.”

The remark came Friday on Trump’s social media platform as he announced the commutation of Santos’ sentence.

Not long after hosting Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and his team for talks, Trump posted online: “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts.”

He added, “They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”

Later, after arriving in Florida for the weekend, Trump urged both sides to “stop the war immediately” and implied that Moscow would keep territory taken from Kyiv.

“You go by the battle line wherever it is — otherwise it’s too complicated,” Trump told reporters.

In recent weeks he had shown growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed greater openness to helping Ukraine win the war.

But with his latest comments, he appeared to be edging back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land lost to Russia.

The lawsuit was filed by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and other officials. It argues that Gov. Bill Lee unilaterally sending the troops into the city at Trump’s request violated the state constitution.

The lawsuit cites the state constitution, which says the guard “shall not be called into service except in case of rebellion or invasion, and then only when the General Assembly shall declare, by law, that the public safety requires it.” The General Assembly is the state Legislature.

Lee and state Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti are named as defendants. They did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump announced last month that the guard would be combat crime in Memphis alongside authorities from federal agencies as part of a Memphis Safe Task Force.

The governor recently praised the task force ands said Memphis was in a unique spot to have the resources available “to remove the crime element.”

“The defense team applauds President Trump for doing the right thing,” Andrew Mancilla said by phone. “The sentence was far too long.”

He added that it is unclear at this point when Santos will be released.

On Monday, Santos published what he called a “passionate plea to President Trump,” praising him and pleading for “the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community.”

In an open letter published by the South Shore Press on Long Island, Santos said he had been in isolation in prison since late August while the FBI investigated a death threat against him and the experience left him “in limbo, caught between uncertainty and silence.”

“Mr. President, I am not asking for sympathy. I am asking for fairness — for the chance to rebuild,” Santos wrote.

He acknowledged making mistakes in his past and said he has faced his share of consequences and takes full responsibility, but nobody “deserves to be lost in the system, forgotten and unseen, enduring punishment far beyond what justice requires.”

“I want nothing more than to begin again — to contribute, to serve, and to rebuild my life from the ashes of my past.”

Former U.S. Rep. Santos appealed to the administration within hours of receiving his sentence, insisting in social media posts and interviews that it was overly harsh and politically motivated.

A prominent former colleague, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, also urged the White House to commute his sentence, saying in a letter days into his prison term that it was “a grave injustice” and a product of judicial overreach.

Santos was serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges.

The judge in Santos’ case agreed with prosecutors that a stiffer sentence was warranted because he did not seem remorseful, despite what he and his lawyers claimed.

Friday’s commutation is Trump’s latest high-profile act of clemency for former Republican politicians. Others include pardons for former Rep. Michael Grimm and former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland.

The president made the announcement Friday about commutation for 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.

He reported to Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey, on July 25 and is being housed in a minimum-security prison camp with fewer than 50 other inmates.

“I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted on his social media platform.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 238 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5%.

The gains capped the best week for the S&P 500 since early August, but it was a roller-coaster ride. Indexes careened through several jarring swings as worries built about the financial health of small and midsized banks as well as the souring trade relationship between the United States and China.

Some of the nervousness around those trade tensions eased Friday after Trump said the very high tariffs he threatened for Chinese imports are not sustainable.

Trump also told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that he would meet with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, at an upcoming conference in South Korea. That was counter to an earlier, angry post he made on social media in which he said there seemed to be “no reason” for such a meeting.

Zelenskyy told reporters after the meeting that it is time for a ceasefire and negotiations. He appeared to stop short of embracing Trump’s call for an immediate end to the war and for the two sides to “stop where they are.”

“The president is right, we have to stop where we are, and then to speak,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump said again Friday that Putin and Zelenskyy feel hatred toward each other, making direct negotiations difficult.

“It’s not about feelings, to me or any other Ukrainian,” Zelenskyy said. “They attacked us, so they are an enemy for us. They don’t intend to stop. So they are an enemy. It is not about someone just hating someone else. Although, undoubtedly, we hate the enemy. Undoubtedly.”

“Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts,” Trump said in a Truth Social post following his meeting with Zelenskyy. “They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide.”

Three bishops who chair important committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops assailed new moves by the Trump administration to reduce the cost of in vitro fertilization.

“We strongly reject the promotion of procedures like IVF that instead freeze or destroy precious human beings and treat them like property,” the bishops said Friday.

“Without diminishing the dignity of people born through IVF, we must recognize that children have a right to be born of a natural and exclusive act of married love, rather than a business’s technological intervention,” their statement said. “And harmful government action to expand access to IVF must not also push people of faith to be complicit in its evils.”

The bishops were Robert Barron, chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Kevin Rhoades, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty; and Daniel Thomas, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

The Trump administration’s request Friday escalates the president’s conflict with Democratic governors over using the military on U.S. soil.

The emergency appeal to the high court came after a judge prevented, for at least two weeks, the deployment of Guard members from Illinois and Texas to assist immigration enforcement.

The two spent more than two hours with top advisers.

The lunch meeting went much longer than planned, according to a senior Ukrainian official who was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

— Susie Blann